Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Muscat: The Ministry of Health has issued a statement clarifying its position on the treatment of a snake bite patient in northern Batinah.
The response by the Ministry denies some of what was said during a radio interview regarding the patient Issac Al Matrushi.
In a statment the Ministry said: "Regarding the phone call interview on Al Wisal radio station regarding the patient Issac Al Matrushi, the Ministry would like to clarify that the patient was treated at one of the preliminary government health centres on July 25, 2017 at 8:30 pm, and after his condition was stable, he was transferred to Sohar hospital to continue his treatment. What is mentioned in the interview about a driver or ambulance not being provided is not true. Each case is assessed according to the international standards adopted to determine the need for transportation by ambulance."
"The patient's condition was initially evaluated at Sohar hospital at 9:34 pm and the emergent doctor examined the patient 15 minutes from his arrival, and the patient was given the anti-venom vaccine at 10:08 pm. After this the rest of the necessary checks were carried out and the appropriate dose of the serum was given to the patient in accordance with the Ministry's policy for such cases. It is not true what was mentioned in the interview regarding the patient waiting for four hours at the emergency room for treatment," The Ministry added.
"The patient was admitted for observation and follow up at the hospital where the on-call medical staff set up a treatment plan for such cases as is the standard globally. Lab results showed that the patient was not responding to the anti-venom vaccine for snakes, and thus the hospital contacted the poison centre which said to follow the same treatment plan and to use the same vaccine which is considered one of the best medically used vaccines for snakes that are found in the Arabian peninsula, according to research and scientific studies," the Ministry said.
"Despite providing the patient with the anti-venom vaccine as advised and blood derivatives needed to prevent any complication, it was revealed that the patient was not responding, therefore the supervising medical staff at Sohar hospital discussed the case with the medical staff at the Royal Hospital and the patient was transferred to the Royal Hospital for more additional treatment on July 29, 2019," added the Ministry.
"It is worth mentioning that snakebite complications are very wide with symptoms ranging from simple to very dangerous depending on the type of snake and amount of venom that entered the human body and the development of the case and the body's response to the anti-venom vaccine," said the Ministry.
"The case was treated in accordance with the medical protocols, we wish the patient a full recovery," the Ministry added.
