Mother of 2 dies after ‘complications from hip replacement surgery’ in Dubai

Posted On:   13 May 2019

Dubai – 13th May, 2019: An Indian mom of two, Betty Rita Fernandes, passed away in Dubai on May 9 at Al Zahra Hospital due to complications allegedly arising after a hip replacement surgery.

Betty, originally from Mumbai, was a chef and ran 'Betty's Cake Tales', a specialty Grocery Store as mentioned on her facebook page.

Earlier, an alleged medical negligence case was reported in UAE last week.

Dr Mohayem Abdelghany, Chief Executive Officer of Al Zahra Hospital, in a statement sent to Khaleej Times said, "In reference to the demise of Betty Rita Fernandes on May 9 after her surgery in Al Zahra Hospital Dubai (AZHD), we have made the family transparently aware of all the developments and ongoing reviews."

"This incident is currently being dealt with multi-level in-depth reviews as per the hospital, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Joint Commission International (JCI) guidelines. It was also notified to the relevant authorities and DHA for their independent assessment and review and we will keep the patient's family updated," read the statement.

Responding to Betty's case, the Dubai Health Authority issued a statement saying: "The case is currently under investigation. The DHA looks into every single case of alleged negligence and/or malpractice stringently. The Health Regulation Sector follows due process in line with international standards to investigate such cases, where a committee of subject matter experts is formed to investigate the case. Deemed action is taken according to the merit of each case," said Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO of Health Regulation Sector.

Last week, Khaleej Times reported that a 24-year-old Emirati woman has been in a coma for nearly 20 days after a botched nose surgery that led to a cardiac arrest and brain damage.

The DHA had announced that it has stopped the 'First Med Day Surgery Centre Dubai' - where the surgery took place - from conducting any surgeries until the investigation is complete.

The DHA has also stopped the two doctors, who conducted the surgeries-ENT surgeon, S.H and anesthesia specialist and Medical Director of the Centre, S.D- from practicing, due to malpractice and added that legal action will be taken against all those who risk the lives of patients.

In an updated statement issued today (Sunday), Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO of the Health Regulation Sector at the DHA said that the authority is standing by the side of the family of the young Emirati adding that the medical negligence she has suffered will not go unpunished.

Source: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/uae-health/indian-woman-dies-after-surgery-in-dubai-