Saeed Al-Suraihi

Okaz

 

WHEN the Control and Investigation Board (CIB) discovers that some ministries and government departments have delayed the execution of about 127 development projects approved by the government, this is a disaster. When the CIB discovers that the Ministry of Health alone is responsible for the delay of 52 of these projects, the disaster becomes graver and more perilous.



The citizen has every right to criticize the Ministry of Transport for delaying the implementation of 28 projects, the Ministry of Education for 18 projects, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs for 14 projects and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for five projects.



The citizen has the right not only to blame or criticize but to reprimand with a loud voice when it comes to the Ministry of Health which has delayed the execution of 52 projects which constitutes nearly half of all delayed government projects.



The Ministry of Health is not only reprimanded for delaying the execution of projects but for the fact that any delay in implementation of a health project simply means endangering peoples’ lives. The severity of the situation becomes even greater when we come to know that these projects include construction of new hospitals, health centers, laboratories and purchase of medicines.



The delay in the implementation of the ministry’s projects also means that the agony of patients will continue. This is evident by the long queues in front of government hospitals. Many patients will be forced to seek treatment at private hospitals which is very expensive. Some of them will opt to travel abroad for treatment in countries where health ministries do not have a huge budget compared to our ministry.



In these countries people do not cry foul when health care of its citizens is under focus. We have lost our voice asking the ministry to improve the health services provided to our countrymen.