The Shoura Council has told Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeah, Minister of Health, to use his “scalpel” to excise and remove the deficiencies and shortcomings of his ministry. The comment was made at the Shoura Council's session on Monday where the minister briefed members on the performance of the public health sector. Members voiced their dissatisfaction with the performance of the ministry and claimed it has not been able to sort out many chronic problems despite its budget being increased to SR33 billion. Members cited several shortages, including of essential medicines, trained technical staff, advanced technology and medical supplies. They said the primary health care centers also have several complicated problems, especially lack of highly trained medical staff. A member said that citizens should enjoy quality therapy and follow-up services. Members said that 81 percent of the primary health centers are in rented buildings which lack the minimum specifications needed for medical centers. “All these drastic deficiencies lead us to believe that the ministry lags behind public aspirations.” They also criticized the home-based health care service, asking how it could be successful when public hospitals suffer from lack of adequate staff. Shoura members said some patients at Yanbu General Hospital were transferred to Madina then to Riyadh. They also pointed out that citizens in the Northern Frontier travel all the way to Jordan to seek treatment. “We always hear promises from the minister but in reality little is done,” said a member. Dr. Talal Bakri, a member of the Shoura Council, was highly critical. “A close look at public health system will prove that the provided services lack quality.” “This is happening at a time when the ministry's share of the state's budget is one of the highest, in addition to the financial support given by the leadership from time-to-time.” One of the acute problems which the ministry has is the lack of well-defined plans and strategies instead of personal opinions and visions. He said expatriates enjoy quality medical services at private and public hospitals because they are covered by medical insurance. That is not the case with many citizens, he said. Dr. Bakri proposed that the ministry relinquishes its hospitals to the private sector and the ministry's budget be distributed to citizens in the form of medical insurance. There are only 0.68 percent beds for every 1,000 patients which is something unbelievable in a country like the Kingdom, he added. __
