JEDDAH — Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeah, Minister of Health, on Sunday toured a 300-bed hospital under construction in east Jeddah. Work on the multispeciality hospital started three years ago and 80 percent of the project has been completed. The minister inspected all the departments of the hospital and was briefed on the progress of work by Dr. Sami Badawood, director of health affairs in Jeddah, and the project's contractor. The minister stressed that the buildings and support facilities should be completed according to plan within the scheduled time. Al-Rabeah then visited King Fahd General Hospital in Jeddah where he inaugurated the hospital's new medical tower, which includes the emergency ward, intensive care unit, the cardiac ICU and the radiology unit. The medical tower has a capacity of 280 beds and includes an extensive intensive care department, a big number of outpatient clinics and medical departments that provide support services. In a statement following the tour, Al-Rabeah recalled that King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Mosques, in a recent speech described the healthcare personnel of the Ministry of Health as “mujahidoon”, or holy warriors. He said the King's remarks had an impact on boosting the morale of health workers. “It is a crown on our heads and a medal of honor on our chests,” the minister said. This shows how the King valued and appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Health and its personnel, he said, adding that this would increase the zeal of his officials to exert greater efforts. The minister was accompanied by Dr. Muhammad Khushaim, Deputy Minister of Health for Planning and Development; Dr. Mansour Al-Hawasi, Deputy Minister of Health for Public Health; Dr. Khaled Dhafar, Director General of Health Affairs in Makkah region; and other high-ranking officials of the ministry. Badawood said the new healthcare projects in Jeddah would bring a qualitative change to healthcare services provided by the Ministry of Health to all segments of society. He said the medical tower at King Fahd Hospital has been equipped with advanced medical technology. The hospital will reduce the pressure on hospital's current clinics and facilities, he added. He said many new projects are currently under way in Jeddah and will provide excellent healthcare services to the citizens and residents of the city and its surrounding towns. — SG/SPA
