SHARJAH // Police are investigating whether medical negligence at Al Qassimi Hospital led to the death of a mother of three.
The woman's mother filed the complaint after the death of her daughter Samaha, 27, in February.
Umm Ayman blames the death on an operation her daughter underwent at the hospital two years earlier to relieve pain in her knee.
In her complaint, she accused those who took part in the surgery - full-time staff and a doctor visiting from France - of negligence.
"We believe there was a medical error committed that led to my daughter's deterioration and then her death," she said.
Samaha was suffering pain in her knee when admitted to the hospital and doctors decided to operate on her stomach to reduce her weight. She weighed 96 kilograms.
But Umm Ayman said that after the operation her daughter suffered from stomach problems and would pass out for unknown reasons.
A spokesman at Al Heera Police Station confirmed police had asked the hospital to present Samaha's file with details of her treatment from the day she went to the hospital to the day her death certificate was signed. He said all those who participated in the operation would be investigated.
Dr Abdul Wahed Al Wahdawi, the deputy director of technical affairs at the hospital, said Samaha had been told of the risks with the operation and decided to go ahead.
"The medical team carried out all procedures ethically and with professionalism," Dr Al Wahdawi said.
Samaha, who was married to an Emirati, left three children, Maryam, 7, Mohammed, 5, and Huda, 3.