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Negligence blamed for death of patient

His family has already lodged a complaint with the police and the Ministry of Health (MoH) against the NMC alleging that Showkat had died of negligence on part of the medical centre.

A sinus surgery was performed on Showkat on September 2 at the NMC. His condition worsened following the surgery and he was admitted to the Belhoul Speciality Hospital. He died after being in coma for 19 days.

“My husband walked into the NMC for the operation hale and hearty saying that he would be back as soon as the operation was over. He said it would take only 20 minutes, but he never recovered,” said Showkat's wife.

“Medical investigation reports and radiological scans done before and after the surgery indicate improper medical treatment. This has been confirmed by a team of medical experts in the US,” she added.

Dr Aadesh Attavar, administration in-charge, NMC, Dubai, said, “We are still investigating the case internally and we'll issue a statement to the media soon. We cannot say anything till all facts are put in place.” He also said that the NMC was in constant touch with doctors at the Belhoul Speciality Hospital. “We have got reports that Showkat showed signs of recovery,” said Dr Attavar.

The family also said that doctors from two other private hospitals in Dubai have confirmed that he suffered from ‘Intracerebral haemorrhage’ that occurred during the sinus surgery.

“There are various causes that may have triggered the haemorrhage and one possibility is an overdose of anaesthetic substance which police is investigating at the moment,” said a close friend of the deceased. “One fails to understand why the NMC had to wait for 27 hours after the surgery to consult a neurosurgeon at Belhoul Speciality Hospital. About 27 hours after the haemorrhage, he was transferred to Belhoul. But by this time it was already too late to do an operation,” said his brother Tariq.

He said that the centre waited for insurance approval before consulting a neurosurgeon when they discovered the haemorrhage.

Showkat got married two-and-a-half years ago and has a 16-month-old son, Salem. He was the only bread earner for five sisters and his elderly parents in Kashmir. He will be buried in Al Quoz after the police hands over his body to his family.

• UAE