RIYADH — The Ministry of Health “talks too much and does too little," Minister Abdullah Al-Rabeah was told by a Shoura Council member here Sunday. Talal Bakri told Al-Rabeah at the Council headquarters: “Your predecessor Hamad Al-Mana wanted a health ministry budget of SR24 billion to build a belt of health institutes, but today you have a budget of SR60 billion and we now hear much talk and see little work being done. “After you were appointed, you told us such a health belt would not happen, even though the ministry's budget had jumped to SR60 billion." The Shoura members applauded Bakri's comments several times, a local daily reported. Al-Rabeah replied that his current strategic plan was an extension of his predecessors' plans and no approved projects had been cancelled. He said his ministry was studying plans in-depth to provide medical insurance to citizens and said the expatriates' experience of medical insurance could not be used as a benchmark. Another Shoura member, Hamad Al-Qadi, raised the issue of emergency departments at the ministry's hospitals, adding they were the first line of defense. He said any shortcomings in these sections could be fatal to patients and urged the minister to ensure this area of healthcare received more investment. The minister agreed, adding the Health Ministry was currently building huge buildings at hospitals to accommodate emergency patients and has sent many doctors on scholarships to specialize in emergency medicine and critical care. Discussing a proposal to build a psychiatric hospital in Makkah with funding from the private sector, he said the ministry appreciates such partnerships. He said as part of its next budget the ministry would invite bidders for the construction of a psychiatric hospital in Makkah. Dismissing allegations that some of the ministry's projects were faltering, he said the ministry sometimes makes amendments to its projects to meet the Kingdom's health requirements. Also, contractors are sometimes accountable for the delay of projects, he added. He did not deny the existence of projects that are taking longer than expected to be completed. The members also asked for the creation of an independent national commission to function separately from the ministry. In response, Al-Rabeah said the ministry was working on setting up a national commission to accredit health institutions in the country. He admitted there was a problem with hospitals' appointment systems and failures in the services provided to disabled and mentally-ill patients, adding the ministry has been working hard to solve these problems. — SG
