ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A father and son lost their lives in a failed liver transplant operation at a private hospital in Erbil, which the family believes was due to negligence during the surgery.
ISIS forced Qasim Mustafa, 51, to relocate from Shingal to Erbil in 2014. He was diagnosed with Cirrhosis, the final stage of liver disease.
Mustafa Qassim, his 23-year-old son, donated part of his liver on June 28 to his father, but the surgery failed, and his father died the next day. He died a week after the death of his father as his health deteriorated severely.
“Musafa spent four days in the ICU. On July 4, his condition became critical. Once again, he was taken to the ICU from the VIP room. They said he has internal bleeding,” said Hassan Qasim, Mustafa’s older brother.
“A 70 percent success rate was predicted in the days leading up to my father's surgery… We were told the donation would be successful 100 percent and for us not to worry. Mustafa has also passed away. It's a difficult situation,” he added.
Their relatives want to file a lawsuit against the hospital, believing there was negligence during the surgery.
“The death of a father and son at the same time is really tragic,”Qasim’s brother, Hassan Mustafa said.
“We ask the government not to overlook their rights. They are poor displaced people, and their rights should not be infringed upon,” he explained.
Rudaw has tried to reach out to the hospital but they declined to comment.
Aso Hawezi, the spokesperson for the Erbil health directorate told Rudaw on Tuesday that the family is able to file a lawsuit against the hospital or the doctor.
Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
