DUBAI // A doctor who forgot to prescribe medication to a patient after carrying out laser eye surgery was yesterday sentenced to three months in prison.
S?M, 48, from India, forged the patient’s medical file to make it look as if he had prescribed the medicine after she started having difficulties with her sight and complained about him.
Prosecutors told the Misdemeanours Court that the ophthalmology consultant operated on the Moroccan accountant S?N, 32, on December 7, 2005, at Al Zahra Hospital, but forgot to prescribe Mitomycin C to aid in her recovery.
The woman learned of his mistake after visiting other practices and complained.
When the doctor heard of the complaint he added a line to her medical file to make it look as though he had prescribed the drug. But the addition was made in a different colour ink.
She filed a civil case against the doctor in 2007 and was awarded Dh100,000 compensation. She then complained to police. The doctor was charged with forging an official document.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge, telling the court he had known the patient since 2005 and had carried out a successful procedure and prescribed the relevant medication.
He said the patient was complaining because she was not happy when her condition – hyperopia (longsightedness) – returned after three months.
salamir@thenational.ae
