Little Sophie Mechleb at the time of the events. Photo taken from the Facebook group "Justice for Sophie Mechleb"
A first in the field of medical errors in Lebanon: In the case of Sophie Mechleb, paralyzed following surgery in 2016, Baabda judge Nadine Najm issued a ruling condemning neurologist Gh. H. for "perjury," under article 408 of the Criminal Code. The decision sentenced the doctor to four months imprisonment, commuted to two months imprisonment, along with a fine paid to the victim's father worth LL 1 billion (just over $11,000 at today's parallel market rate).
In the text of the decision, the judge noted that the doctor in question, who had followed the girl's case since birth, stated that on the day of her admission to Serhal Hospital (Metn) on Feb. 2, 2016, he "had not examined her." However, the decision continues to add that "it turned out that he had indeed auscultated her, on Feb. 3, 2016, at Saint-Georges Hospital in Beirut."
This doctor, Gh.H., born in 1971, has been accused of lying to the Beirut public prosecutor since 2018 and has since been referred to the Baabda criminal court for trial.
In June 2016, one-year-old Sophie, who was born prematurely, underwent surgery to remove a benign tumor from her back. Following the operation, which her parents said was not urgent, the little girl became completely paralyzed. The parents have always maintained that their child was the victim of medical error and negligence on the part of the medical staff.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.