Regulator dismisses majority of medical negligence complaints over ‘inaccuracy’

Of the 228 alleged medical negligence complaints filed with the health regulator last year, only 42 have been proved to be accurate, it was revealed. According to the Bahrain Medical Association, a good majority of medical complaints “was not really substantiated upon leading to dismissals”.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health yesterday stated that it is following up the case of a Bahraini patient, who allegedly suffered multiple complications following surgery. Claims were made on social media that the patient suffered severe complications due to medical negligence. However, investigations have not yet confirmed whether it was a case of medical negligence. “The ministry has passed over the information regarding the incident to the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA), which is investigating the case.”

According to sources, the patient is currently in the Intensive Care Unit, receiving the required treatment. “The hospital authorities are in constant contact with the family, updating them on the patient’s medical condition. “There are a series of reported cases of medical negligence, although official statistics about how many of those have been proven true is yet to be revealed,” the ministry said.

Over a thousand violations were found at healthcare facilities during the past year by teams sent by NHRA. Violations ranging from medical waste disposal to improper sterilization were noted at healthcare facilities across the Kingdom, according to NHRA. The NHRA said that 697 inspection visits were made last year.

“Among the violations, 384 were noted during inspections, 111 were related to new healthcare facilities, 62 deal with auditing errors and remaining were linked to the delivery of services,” the regulator had said.