Patient Dies in Hospital Fire Caused by Cigarette, Family Sues Sheba Medical Center

A medical negligence and safety failure lawsuit has been filed against Sheba Medical Center following the tragic death of Rami Nuri in 2022. Nuri, hospitalized with COVID-19, was trapped in a deadly fire that broke out in his hospital room after another patient smoked a cigarette there. His widow, Amira Nuri, filed the suit, citing the hospital's lack of fire extinguishers and smoke detectors that could have prevented or mitigated the blaze.

In an interview on the program "Sichat Hayom," Amira described the terrifying moments, explaining that her husband was placed in a small room intended for one patient but shared with another who smoked. She said the room was engulfed in flames without any fire detection systems, and her husband was only removed after 11 minutes, suffering fatal burns over his entire body. The fire occurred around 12:15 PM, but the family was only notified an hour later that he had died and asked to identify the body.

Sheba Medical Center responded, acknowledging the dangers of smoking-related fires and praising the quick and courageous actions of the staff on duty, which prevented a larger disaster. The hospital emphasized its ongoing commitment to patient, visitor, and staff safety and expressed condolences to the families affected by the tragic event.