Man begs for treatment of 5-year-old daughter

A desperate father is imploring authorities for proper treatment abroad for his ailing five-year-old Saudi girl.

The man - Hussain Al-Khidaish - claims that Shahad, the girl, has had 70 surgical operations in three years, but her condition has not improved, a report published in Al-Watan and carried by Saudi Gazette said.

Al-Watan cited Al-Khidaish as saying that his daughter swallowed a burning matter when she was two. It caused severe burns in the girl's oesophagus and stomach. She hasn't been normal since then.

Al-Khidaish said Shahad is unable to swallow anything or take food or water. "She is being fed through a tube in the nose," he pointed out.

According to the father, Shahad was first hospitalized and put on artificial breathing system for two weeks. She was then taken to an educational hospital.

Later, she was admitted to another hospital in Riyadh where she underwent endoscopic operations once every two weeks to expand the esophagus and stomach, the man reportedly said.

"A feeding tube was planted in the stomach. She remained like this for two-and-a-half years without any improvement," the father was quoted as saying.

He claimed her condition worsened when the esophagus was pierced during the endoscopic operations to expand it.

Despite being referred to yet another hospital in Riyadh, her condition remained the same, her father claims.

The father said Shahad condition is going from bad to worse. He has urged authorities to help him take his daughter abroad for proper treatment at government's expenses, the report says.

Source: Khaleej Times