Re: Missing notes mean case is postponed against doctor arrested during transit in United Arab Emirates
Sir!
One might consider Dr Karabus' case a singular event. But this is not the case. In 2011 U.A.E. Intensivist Eugen Adelsmayr was accused of murder and death penalty was requested by the prosecutor. His charge was based on an odd controversy about do-not-resuscitate rules in Dubai. Documents were forged. This individual doctor was blamed for a general problem officials do not want to address. I worked in Dubai as a physician for two years and I must say that both legal cases affected our daily routine. Everyone was avoiding the discussion of end-of-life and palliative care issues. Unconditional resuscitations and pointless invasive interventions have been daily routine regardless of the patients' prognosis. This was a torture for many patients and families. Doctors who are threatened with draconian punishments for unavoidable decisions will never be able to advise the patients in their best interest.
References:
Adelsmayr E: Von einem der auszog. Vienna: Seifert, 2012 (in German).
Rapid Response:
Re: Missing notes mean case is postponed against doctor arrested during transit in United Arab Emirates
Sir!
One might consider Dr Karabus' case a singular event. But this is not the case. In 2011 U.A.E. Intensivist Eugen Adelsmayr was accused of murder and death penalty was requested by the prosecutor. His charge was based on an odd controversy about do-not-resuscitate rules in Dubai. Documents were forged. This individual doctor was blamed for a general problem officials do not want to address. I worked in Dubai as a physician for two years and I must say that both legal cases affected our daily routine. Everyone was avoiding the discussion of end-of-life and palliative care issues. Unconditional resuscitations and pointless invasive interventions have been daily routine regardless of the patients' prognosis. This was a torture for many patients and families. Doctors who are threatened with draconian punishments for unavoidable decisions will never be able to advise the patients in their best interest.
References:
Adelsmayr E: Von einem der auszog. Vienna: Seifert, 2012 (in German).
http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-11-21-the-abu-dhabi-nightmare-co...
(last accessed 31 Jan 2013).
Competing interests: No competing interests