Jeddah The director of the recently closed Erfan & Bagedo Hospital has denied rumors that the hospital could reopen on Saturday.
Dr. Muhammad Erfan said Saturday was the date fixed by Jeddah Administrative Court to review Health Minister Dr Abdullah Al-Rabeeah's to close the hospital for two months after eight-year-old Salah Al-Deen Yusuf Abdul Lateef Jamil died there, allegedly because of a medical error.
He said the hospital would not function without official permission from health authorities.
He also denied accusing the Ministry of Health of being corrupt in his appeal petition, indicating that he described the ministry's decision as "damaging" to inpatients and hospital staff.
He said there was no animosity between the hospital and the Ministry of Health.
He said the hospital administration would strictly abide by the ministry's legal procedures.
He said the judiciary has not yet resolved the case.
Jeddah Administrative Court will look on Saturday into the ministry's decision to close the hospital for two months.
Dr. Erfan said he was "stunned" that the contents of his appeal that he lodged with the Makkah Court of Appeals had been leaked.
Following directives from the Ministry of Health, all inpatients have been discharged and handed over to government hospitals, he said.
Dr. Erfan's lawyer Muhammad Hassan Sarwaq said he has presented a legal brief with his client's case to the appeals court.
He said it was a normal legal procedure that if the defendant was not satisfied with the trial court's judgment, he had to appeal after the final judgment had been handed down, which is what his client did.
He said the hospital serves a large segment of Jeddah society.
The hospital admits 20,000 patients annually, while an average of 2,500 patients visit the hospital daily, he said.
It receives 42,030 patients in its various ICU sections annually and 1,491 patients suffering from renal failure a year.
This is evidence that the hospital contributes to the country's health services, he claimed.
Hussien Hazzazi - Saudi Gazette
