Saudi Gazette report

JAZAN — A number of residents in the southern province of Jazan complained that they were experiencing a severe lack of medical services after the main general hospital in the city was shut down following a massive fire there three years ago.

Speaking to Al-Madina Arabic newspaper, they said that they were suffering because the project to renovate and reopen the general hospital was delayed.

Childbirth, which is a happy occasion for families, is now seen as a burden because expecting mothers do not have a reliable hospital to go to for delivery. Some mothers are forced to travel long distances in search for a specialist hospital. Others resort to private hospitals that cost them huge amounts of money.

People said they continued to suffer because of the delay in implementing the specialist hospital project. It was reported that 55 percent of the hospital was completed and was expected to be handed over to the Ministry of Health next year.

Hussien Al-Hazmi, a Saudi resident of Jazan, said he had been visiting a specialist hospital far away from the city since 2012. He was happy when he heard of the ministry’s intention to open a specialist hospital in the city. Until now the project was not completed and all what they hear is promises and excuses, he said.

Ahmad Al-Abdali, another citizen, said the specialist hospital in Jazan, which is being built at a cost of SR72 million, was scheduled to open in 2016, but the work was not completed until now.

Faizah Al-Malki, a Saudi woman, has said expecting mothers get frustrated and become concerned when they are in the 9th month of pregnancy. “They start to think of the right hospital to go to. They start inquiring about specialists in areas nearby and whether room is available at those hospitals,” Al-Malki said.

“We have been hearing about a maternity hospital in Jazan for nearly nine years but without any luck. We got extremely disappointed when we heard that the project was withdrawn from the contractor,” she said.

The official spokesman of Jazan Health Affairs, Nabeel Ghawi, said the general hospital project in Jazan faced many challenges in the past, including financial troubles of the contractor.

He said all technical challenges were dealt with lately and 55 percentage of the hospital was completed. He said the football field next to the hospital was relocated to make space for car parking.

The dispute between the financing bank and the contractor was solved. This led to a significant progress in the work, from 10 percent to 55 percent, Ghawi said.

In a previous statement, the Health Ministry said hospitals in Jazan treated 1,325,422 emergency cases, while 640,288 outpatients and 45,836 inpatients in the first nine months of the current year.

The hospitals also performed 458,711 radiography exams, 4,940,783 laboratory tests, 15,889 delivery cases, 17,544 surgeries, including 17 cardiac surgeries.

We have been hearing about a maternity hospital in Jazan for nearly nine years but without any luck. We got extremely disappointed when we heard that the project was withdrawn from the contractor.