Al-Madina
EVERY country in the world gives top priority to healthcare services for its citizens and residents. They allocate huge funds from the national budget to boost the health sector by establishing specialized hospitals across the country.
Some countries provide all health services to citizens, even at their homes. The standard of health services would be considered as a basic criterion to judge the progress of any country. In light of above facts, I don’t think our health sector realizes the hopes and expectations of our leadership.
The Saudi government under the wise leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman gives top priority to the health sector and allocates huge amounts of money to establish hospitals and improve healthcare services. Unfortunately, the healthcare services do not realize the hopes and aspirations of citizens across the Kingdom.
We know that people face a lot of problems and difficulties to receive healthcare. Most of our public hospitals and health centers lack qualified and experienced doctors and paramedical staff, thus endangering the lives of citizens and residents.
The number of public hospitals in the country does not match with the growing population. It seems that the Health Ministry has not taken into consideration the tremendous increase in population while planning healthcare projects. Annual increase in population demands construction of more hospitals and health centers in all parts of the country.
Moreover, the ministry should recruit the best doctors available in the world to practice at our hospitals and give priority to qualified Saudi doctors and nurses. This is essential to reduce cases of medical errors that have killed many people in the past. We should appoint highly qualified paramedical staff after conducting necessary tests. We should also give them training to enhance their skills.
It is amazing that the ministry delayed its plan to provide health insurance coverage to all its citizens. In my view the ministry should introduce the system without further delay. People who visit our public hospitals are depressed due to the bad treatment they face from staff members.
Patients face difficulty to get appointment of doctors and specialists. This situation makes patients and their relatives hopeless, forcing them to visit private hospitals and polyclinics whose main objective is to drain the pockets of patients. In order to avoid this exploitation, many people take refuge in herbal medicine, which they find cheaper and safer.
Our country is rich and blessed with huge material resources. We are also lucky to have a wise leadership which is concerned with the welfare and well-being of citizens and ready to spend anything for their benefit, and this should have reflected in the health sector.
The Vision 2030, launched by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, gives top priority to healthcare. I hereby request our Shoura Council members to discuss the issue of health services seriously and propose viable solutions. They should also follow up implementation of proposals and punish negligent officials and workers.
Before concluding this article I would like to express my sorrow and despair over authorities’ ignoring of the proposals and viewpoints of writers regarding public services. In the past we have been receiving good response from government officials on matters raised in newspaper columns.
