The Dubai Civil Court has directed a medical centre to refund Dh159,000 to a patient after finding that it failed to perform a surgical procedure despite receiving full payment in advance.

The court annulled the contract between the parties and ordered the centre to repay the amount with legal interest at 5 per cent per year, calculated from the date the case was filed until full payment is made. It also awarded the patient Dh5,000 in compensation for material and moral damages, and ordered the centre to bear court fees, expenses and legal costs, including lawyers’ fees.

Court records show that an Arab woman filed a civil claim seeking to hold the medical centre and its manager jointly liable for returning the sum she had transferred to the centre’s bank account under a formal surgery agreement.

The claimant stated that the centre repeatedly postponed the operation without fixing a final date and ultimately failed to carry out the procedure. She argued that the delays prevented her from benefiting from the funds paid and caused her to miss the appropriate time for surgery, amounting to a clear breach of contractual obligations.