A Dubai civil court has ordered a private hospital and four doctors to jointly pay Dh2 million in compensation to the husband and two children of a Gulf woman who died during childbirth, after ruling that her death was caused by gross medical negligence.
The decision follows a final criminal judgment that convicted the four physicians of serious medical error. Each doctor was fined Dh50,000 and ordered to pay Islamic blood money (diya) to the victim’s heirs. In its civil ruling, the Dubai Civil Court said it was legally bound by the criminal court’s findings on both the existence of the medical error and the doctors’ responsibility.
Court records showed that the woman had undergone in-vitro fertilisation and required heightened medical care due to the sensitivity of her pregnancy. After delivering her second child, she suffered severe post-partum bleeding, which the court found was not addressed with the necessary urgency or professional competence.
The delay and improper management led to a rapid deterioration of her condition and ultimately caused her death. The court held the hospital jointly liable with the doctors, ruling that the failures constituted a gross breach of medical duty. The Dh2 million compensation will be distributed among the woman’s husband and children, bringing the civil case to a close.
