Health officials said new measures are being undertaken to avoid overcrowding in government hospitals. Sami Badawood, head of Health Affairs Management in Jeddah, said new government hospitals will be established in 2008 each with a capacity of 800 beds. “New hospital projects are being studied. They range from a new children and maternity hospital in Jeddah to developing the Al-Azizyah Maternity Hospital, King Fahd Hospital operating rooms, and Al-Mosadiyah Maternity Hospital,” Badawood said. In order to help avoid crowding at certain hospitals Badawood said in Feb. 08 new emergency departments in all government hospitals were opened to receive all nationalities, not just Saudis. Government hospitals started to send emergency patients to private hospitals on May 5 in order to avoid crowding in government hospitals, Badawood said. “We have asked all private hospitals to receive emergency cases from government hospitals without any argument. The Ministry of Health will compensate the private hospitals for the fees,” Badawood said. He said most of the patients who visit government hospitals are from the Makkah area. Consequently the Ministry of Health is working to develop hospitals around the Makkah area to be able to treat cancer and heart failure patients more effectively, as part of the King Abdullah Health Project in Makkah. According to a Asharq Al-Awsat report the King Abdullah Health Project is a SR540 million medical city consisting of 10 medical centers which will be available to Saudis and expatriates during the Haj season. __
