Doctor’s sentence for malpractice in Saudi Arabia includes 1,500 lashes
November 13, 2008 by Fred HosierPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, That's how they do it in ______
What can HR do when employees make serious mistakes at their jobs? Options include suspension, demotion and dismissal. But when a doctor makes a mistake with a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family, the consequences can be much more severe.
Saudi Arabia has sentenced Raoul Amin el-Arabi to 15 years in prison and 1,500 lashes after he was convicted of malpractice, reportedly after treating a Saudi princess.
El-Arabi is an Egyptian citizen, and his family and demonstrators in that country are calling for his release from Saudi Arabia.
His wife fears the lashes will kill her 53-year-old husband.
The Saudi government has refrained from comment, according to wire service reports.
Egypt’s state-owned news agency reported an Egyptian ambassador met with the powerful mayor of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the case.
It’s believed el-Arabi has already received at least one of his weekly installment of 70 lashes so far.
Tags: demotion, dismissal, lashes, suspension
November 14th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Now that is what I called uncivilized.
November 14th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Hmmmmm…. I wonder if his malpractice insurance will go up.
November 14th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
So, is this a case of punishment worthy of the crime? We “civilized” peoples would say no. But, what if this were your child who was subjected to malpractice? Of course the details and severity are missing in this story, but if you’ve ever encountered what you considered to be inept and shoddy medical attention, haven’t you also wanted some sort of pay-back? The Saudi’s rule with unmerciful ruthlessness, regardless of who the offender is. Maybe our real lesson here is to know when it’s appropriate to show mercy when punishing employee’s for their offenses. Just a thought…
November 14th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
The malpractice charge stems from him prescribing her pain pills after she had a horse riding accident. She became addicted to the medication and he was then charged with malpractice.
November 14th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I would think it would be very hard to blink with that many lashes.
November 14th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
If Nicole is correct one must ask where is the patients responsibility in this case? Did she tell her Doctor or family she was becoming dependent on the medication? If she did and the doctor chose not to react to the dependence then I would agree it is malpractice. On the other hand, does the penalty fit the crime? I think not. True the Doctor had responsibility to follow up on the princess but, addiction is easy to hide and I assume the princess did a good job at hiding it. What punishment did she get?
November 14th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
And they want HR to be responsible for “bullying” in the workplace? What a difference!
November 14th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I wonder how the Saudis would punish the “Wall Street” gang for the economy…maybe cut out their free spa gatherings.
November 25th, 2008 at 3:07 am
The details are not published publicly to protect the identity of the princess since everyone knows who’s involved.
But usually 1500 lashes would be for something of a serious offense.
Another thing, those lashes are not what you see in the old torture movies. They are more symbolical and mental then for physical punishment (they are carried out in public in most cases). They basically put a book under your palm and have you hold your arm till it touches the side of your stomach as you lash. You don’t get any swing, and barely and leverage. The wipe is also made of a particular material so it doesn’t cause any permanent damage.
Somethings we take very seriously in Saudi. Drugs is one of them.