Saleh Al-Turaiqi Okaz Newspaper I applaud the recent decision by the Ministry of Health to withdraw and cancel the license of a private hospital in Al-Khafji. Officials at the hospital had committed a number of violations contrary to the regulations of private health institutions. The violations registered against the hospital, which has yet to be identified, are as follows: The absence of a Saudi medical manager on the staff; insufficient number of consultants and lab technicians, shortage of nurses and vital equipment and materials in the operating room, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), dental clinics, pharmacy and labs. Technicians working in the labs had questionable medical qualifications. The hospital was found employing technical cadres without the proper licenses. Following this embarrassing series of disclosures that had gone unnoticed for quite some time, the ministry vowed to take severe action against any violating hospital by slapping fines of up to SR100,000. I find that such amounts are pitifully low especially when it comes to human life. Deaths by traffic accidents often cost the perpetrator much more. And why has the name of the hospital not been publicly disclosed? Who is so keen to keep the name of the hospital a secret even after its closure? Why was this undisclosed hospital allowed to operate and receive patients despite the fact that some of the violations registered against it stated that it was still under construction?!?! It is obvious that someone in the Ministry of Health dropped the ball. The most important thing is that the health of the people should not be taken lightly especially in the absence of supervision that would allow such questionable institutions to operate.
