Saudi Arabia: Medical Errors Have Led To 2,500 Deaths

There have been 2,500 deaths due to medical errors in Saudi Arabia, with more than 1,600 cases filed against doctors and medical professionals, and 500 cases where medical workers have been found guilty of malpractice.

This has been revealed by Shoura member Fayez Al-Shihri, who said the consultative body should make every effort to ensure that performance is improved in all government sectors, including health, a local publication reported on Thursday.

Meanwhile, several members of Shoura criticized the report of the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, as well as a study of the report by its committee on the economy and energy, which they said highlighted the ministry’s lack of proper data.

Council member Ahmed Hakami said the report did not provide any comparison between 2015 and 2014, and that there has been an indication that Aramco’s gas production has fallen, without specific reasons provided. He said the ministry does not have qualified staff to implement internal systems.

Mansour Alkredes said the Agency of Mineral Resources within the ministry only has a budget of SR126 million, which is not enough to carry out all tasks related to exploration, drilling and mining, noting there have been calls for a larger budget for the agency to perform its work.

Member Saadoun Al-Sadoun called on Aramco to establish more specialized companies for research and oil and gas exploration, as other countries have done, while Prince Khalid Al-Saud said the ministry needs restructuring to accommodate the manufacturing and electricity sectors and fill 293 vacant jobs.