Saudi Gazette report HOFUF — A number of patients who visited King Fahd Hospital (KFH) in Hofuf criticized the facilities at the hospital, which was built in 1980. They complained about the small size of the emergency room considering the population of Al-Ahsa governorate, which exceeds two million people. They charged that beds are in such bad conditions that patients cannot sleep on them. Al-Hayat newspaper met some patients who were angry with the poor medical services and were demanding the Health Affairs improve the services at the hospital. Mansour Ali, a patient, noted that most clinics are crowded with patients and it was difficult to get appointments. He added that there is a shortage of physicians and the current number of doctors cannot handle the large number of patients who come to the hospital on a daily basis. Another patient said the hospital's rest rooms are filthy, smell bad and it seems they have not been cleaned for a long time. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has recently criticized the hospital for its negligence and poor hygiene. It called upon the Health Ministry to step in and find an urgent solution to these problems. However, the ministry has not responded to the NACC's demands and the hospital remains to be in poor condition. The NACC asked the ministry to open an urgent probe into the violations and stark negligence of the hospital and its operator. It also called for inflicting heavy penalties on the operator and contractors who are responsible for the hospital's appalling condition. It said the hospital's services should be improved so that citizens can enjoy an acceptable level of medical services. The NACC noticed that some staff was not at their desks during office hours while patients were waiting for them in long lines. This indicated that the hospital management is not monitoring employees and their work hours. This 502-bed hospital is the largest in Al-Ahsa governorate and some 650-700 patients visit the emergency unit on a daily basis. The hospital's x-ray department was expanded three years ago. KFH Medical Director Dr. Muhammad Al-Ali told Al-Hayat the emergency unit will see sweeping development all over. He expected a new ambulance center to open in three months, as 90 percent of the work has been completed. “The center has 54 ICU beds and will be the second largest ICU in the Kingdom.” The first floor has a state-of-the-art operating room, laboratory, pharmacy, x-ray unit, and 48 beds while the second floor has several operating rooms and a general ward. There will also be enough medical staff to attend to all cases. Al-Ali said a group of experts designed operational plans for the emergency unit and this plan should improve the unit's services.
