Father: ‘I want justice, not money, for my dead son’

Dubai: Justice has been served in the case of a Pakistani resident who claimed that a hospital’s negligence resulted in the death of his 24-year-old son.

The father, Mansour Baloch, from Pakistan, had filed a complaint against Zuleka Hospital with the Ministry of Health, which ruled in his favour earlier this month. The ministry held the hospital responsible for the death of Asim Mansour and said his father can seek legal action.

Baloch, however, is content with only the ruling from the ministry.

Speaking to Gulf News, he said, “I wanted the hospital and medical staff to be held accountable for my loss. No compensation or legal action will bring my son back.”

The decision not to press legal charges was taken before Baloch filed a complaint in May with the ministry.

“Even if I were offered money, I would give it to charity. A legal case may affect someone’s job and reputation — my family and I do not wish for that. We only wanted justice and an apology saying that the hospital delayed medical attention. I forgive the hospital/doctors for this negligence,” said Baloch.

Gulf News first reported the case in July.

Asim, a thalassaemia patient, was undergoing regular blood transfusion and took medication. He was a keen football player and was working in administration.

At the time, Baloch, a UAE resident since 1976, explained the sequence of events leading to his son’s death.

Asim, the second of four children, developed a high fever and was admitted to Zulekha Hospital in Sharjah. He was discharged a few days later. After three weeks, the son complained of severe, continuous headache. The father took him to the same hospital.

Though Asim — conscious and able to walk — was taken to the emergency early in the morning, his symptoms and medical history (thalassaemia and previous visits) weren’t taken seriously. The son’s medical file had pending administrative procedures, delaying the admission process.

By the time diagnostic tests were requested, Asim’s condition worsened. A CT (computed tomography) scan confirmed the presence of an abscess in the brain. He died at 11pm.

Gulf News made several attempts to get a statement from Zulekha Hospital regarding the deceased patient; however the hospital declined to comment.

Gulf News has obtained a copy of the decision by the ministry blaming the doctor and hospital for the negligence. The ruling from the ministry stated: “The doctor [from Zuleka Hospital] is guilty of malpractice. The doctor should have admitted patient and carried out the appropriate diagnostic brain tests.”