Drug crisis, errors led to UAE minister's dismissal

A severe drug supply shortage along with persistent medical errors and mass resignations by qualified doctors were among the reasons that prompted the sacking of health minister Hanif Hassan. A passionate radio appeal for help by an Emirati mother over her cancer-afflicted son hastened that move.

Quoting unnamed health ministry officials, the Dubai-based Emarat Al Youm Arabic language daily said many government hospitals have suffered from shortages in key medicines because of lack of funds while several medical centres have closed because of the shortages and low budgets.

It said the drug supply crisis hit hospitals early this year and peaked in March after many dealers halted supplies because of accumulating debt by the ministry of health. “The supply crisis is still continuing at some hospitals and centres and it affected some major medicines including those used for diabetes and blood pressure….the drug stores at some centres have become almost empty.”

The paper quoted an official as saying the ministry of health had slashed budgetary allocations for some hospitals by up to 60 per centre including that for Al Qassimi hospital in Sharjah, which saw its budget for drugs plunge from nearly Dh80 million in 2010 to only Dh32 million in 2011.

“Because of this shortage, the management of Al-Qassimi hospital decided to postpone some open heart surgeries for weeks,” it said. “Dental treatment centres are also suffering from drug shortages because of lower budgets.”

The paper quoted the officials as saying the crisis was accompanied with mass resignations by doctors and other medical staff members due to low wages. This has led to the closure of some health centres and wards at hospitals.

“In the meantime, hospitals have recorded a large number of medical errors over the past few months…these errors led to the death of three Emirati women who had been rushed to Umm Al Quwain hospital after they were injured in a road accident…they died because of a continuous bleeding while two others were saved after they were taken to Rashid hospital in Dubai.”

Officials also told the paper that the former minister, who was relieved of his post this week by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was keen to visit new health projects but rarely inspected old hospitals which have problems.

“The radio appeal by Umm Ahmed came to precipitate the decision to relieve the minister of his duties…Umm Ahmed told Ajman Radio that she had begged the health ministry for three months to send her 30-year-old son abroad for treatment as he is suffering from cancer…but her request was rejected,” the paper said.

“My sons tried to see senior officials from the ministry of health but they refused to meet them….this prompted me to go on air and complaint.”

According to the paper, Umm Ahmed was crying as she spoke to the programme presenter Abdullah bin Khaseef, who said that he later received calls from many Sheikhs and officials expressing their sympathy with Umm Ahmed.

“I myself started to cry when Umm Ahmed spoke to me…I then began to receive calls and all of them were sympathetic….the first call came from the office of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid, Dubai’s crown price and chairman of the executive council, who ordered the health department to send Ahmed abroad for treatment,” Khaseef said.

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