MP accuses Health Ministry of 'killing patient out of neglect'

AMMAN — The Ministry of Health has been accused of “killing a citizen with its neglect” by MP Ibrahim Abu Alsayyed, who took to his official Facebook page to direct criticism at the ministry and the “way it handled” a citizen’s health situation.

Hasan Kharouf, a Jordanian citizen, was admitted to the Prince Hussein Hospital in Baqaa Refugee Camp five days before his death, where he was advised by the doctors to undergo an immediate cardiac catheterisation, according to Abu Alsayyed.

“The hospital contacted the Prince Hamzah Hospital via fax so that the patient can be transferred there for his surgery, since the Prince Hussein Hospital does not perform that sort of operation, but that was to no avail, as the latter replied that there were no available beds,” stated the MP in his post.

Alsayyed posted screenshots purportedly showing WhatsApp conversations with Minister of Health Saad Jaber, in which he explained the critical condition of the patient and asked the minister for help three days in a row. According to the MP, Jaber saw the messages but did not reply.

The last message the MP sent to the minister was on the day of the patient’s death, which read: “This is the state of the poor in our country — they die.”

He also posted screenshots of calls to the minister that had gone unanswered.

“I will be addressing this and taking the necessary legal actions in our Sunday session,” the MP said in his post on Saturday.

On Sunday, Ministry of Health Spokesperson Radi Jawarneh told The Jordan Times over the phone that the ministry reviewed the patient’s hospital records, in which doctors had advised that cardiac catheterisation surgery be delayed until the water on the lungs of the patient’s is removed.

“The deceased patient had Pleural Effusion (fluids on the lungs), which made the cardiac catheterisation impossible until they were removed. Despite that, the ministry still tried to move him to a hospital that performed the surgery so that he could undergo it as soon as he was ready,” said Jawarneh.

“However, he passed away before he could undergo the operation, not because there were no beds but because he was not yet ready for it,” he added. 

Jawarneh noted that the ministry tried to contact several hospitals, among them Jordan University Hospital, Prince Hamzah Hospital and Bashir Hospital.

The Prince Hussein Hospital declined to comment on the matter to The Jordan Times.

The incident has sparked outrage on social media, with people commenting on and sharing the MP’s post with condolences to the deceased’s family, calls for putting the ministry on trial and requests for better health services for the general public.

“If this was a matter in a developed country, the whole government would be put on trial. Unfortunately, no one here is bothered since the man is from a refugee camp,” said Shaker Khalidi on Facebook.

Abdullah Azzam, another citizen, commented on the MP’s post: “This will not be the last case of its kind. If Parliament is to hold the ministry accountable, it should also make it compulsory that it fundamentally improve in regards to beds, medical staff, and overall structure.”