Patient demands Dh3m from hospital for error

An Arab man has filed a court suit to demand Dh3 million damages from a private hospital in Abu Dhabi, saying a medical error committed by the treating doctors caused atrophy to his left hand and affected his writing ability.

The unnamed patient told court on Wednesday that he had visited the hospital for treatment of a lymph gland which doctors diagnosed as benign. But a surgeon recommended an operation to remove it.

The patient told court that a few months after the surgery, he started to feel crucial pains in his left shoulder and leaning in the neck and head. He said this impaired his ability to write and seriously affected his work on the grounds he is left-handed.

After several physiotherapy sessions failed to produce results, the patient travelled abroad for treatment at a specialized hospital.

Doctors there told him that the surgery he had undergone in Abu Dhabi has caused a rupture in his left shoulder nerve. He then returned to Abu Dhabi and demanded $500,000 (Dh1.8 million) damages from the surgeon, knowing that the hospital is fully ensured against medical errors.

“The patient told court that the doctor and the hospital ignored his pleas, prompting him to file a court suit to demand compensation of Dhthree million after he was told that he is unlikely to fully recover,” Emirat Alyoum daily said.

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