MAKKAH — Patients and staff at King Abdulaziz Hospital's dialysis and renal failure ward complained that there are rats roaming around and the hospital management has failed to exterminate them, Makkah daily reported. A staff member said they filed a complaint with the management about the ward's rat problem but they received no response. “We do have a cat, which captures some of these rats,” said the staff member. Another staff member said: “They are of different sizes and species. We try to kill them and spray poison on them but to no avail. We close all of the doors but they keep entering from different holes in the walls and ceilings.” “The hospital is open from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m, and we see rats throughout the day especially during the evening,” added the staff member. Patient Hadiyah Al-Qurashi visits the hospital every week to receive dialysis and she said she always sees rats scurrying between patients' beds. “This is unsanitary and uncomfortable for patients. If not exterminated, the rats can transfer diseases to patients,” she said. Head of Makkah Health Affairs Abdulwahab Shalabi said a rodent exterminator has been contracted to spray the building on a regular basis. “The management of the hospital will attend to the matter and the company will be monitored to ensure quality of work,” he said while adding that the head of the hospital was unaware of the situation until recently.