JEDDAH — The shortage of beds at government hospitals has cost the Ministry of Health SR40 million last year. A report by the Jeddah Health Affairs Directorate confirmed that this amount was paid to private hospitals for patients referred to these hospitals due to a lack of beds in government hospitals. Many patients of King Fahd General Hospital are complaining of the long waiting time for appointments, the mistreatment by hospital staff, the lack of services and the shortage of beds. Patients who need to be admitted to the emergency unit cannot find available beds. Furthermore, if a bed is available, there is not enough equipment to save the patient's life. A Saudi woman said her mother had a heart problem, and the doctor said she needed to be transferred to the intensive care unit. A bed was not readily available, but when she was finally transferred, the oxygen equipment was not properly functioning, and her mother died shortly afterward, the woman claimed. Director of Jeddah Health Affairs Dr. Sami Badawood agreed with patients' complaints of the long appointment times, the shortage of beds, and the increase in the number of patients. He said an area of 5,000 sq meters around King Fahad General Hospital was acquired to make room for new clinics and wards. He said mistreatment of patients by hospital staff is not tolerable, and the hospital's Patients Relations Department should be notified of any such incident. He added that the hospital staff and workers receive training on dealing with patients. There are 1,500 beds in the city's government hospitals to serve about 4 million people. Government and private hospitals in Jeddah together provide a total of 7,135 beds. Many residents of Jeddah work in government sectors that have their own medical services, such as the National Guard, the Ministry of Defense and King Abdulaziz University. Badawood said the Ministry of Health is planning additional wards that will add 2,170 beds to the existing hospitals in Jeddah. Additionally, 84 intensive care beds will be added to King Fahd Hospital, he added.
