The Directorate of Health Affairs in Taif Governorate has criticized Social Affairs in the Makkah Region for ignoring recuperating mental health patients who need shelter but not treatment. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Sa'eed Al-Zahrani, Spokesperson of the Directorate of Health Affairs in Taif Governorate, blamed the Ministry of Social Affairs for the shortage of beds in the mental health hospital in Shihar because the hospital has over 300 recuperating male and female mental health patients, some of whom have been in the hospital for over 40 years because they have been rejected by their families, or because they do not have any relatives. Such patients do not need treatment and should not be occupying psychiatric beds, Al-Zahrani said. They are supposed to be in comprehensive rehabilitation centers or homes for convalescing mental health patients which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Social Affairs, he added. The Directorate of Health Affairs stressed that the Ministry of Social Affairs has not carried out its role despite the existence of regulations specifying the objectives of social care homes in caring for patients and old people who have no relatives. Al-Zahrani pointed out that the situation applies to rejected male and female inmates. He said that his department has written to comprehensive rehabilitation centers and the Ministry of Social Affairs to take charge of rejected male and female mental health patients and provide them with shelter and services. Meanwhile, orders issued ten years ago that the Ministry of Social Affairs should establish a home for convalescing mental health patients in the Makkah Region are still awaiting implementation. Al-Zahrani said that transferring rejected male and female mental health inmates to convalescence homes would provide more beds for those who require hospitalization and treatment and reduce pressure on the different hospital departments. He pointed out that the beds in all the men's hospital departments are full including the beds for inmates who are on vacation with their relatives. Al-Zahrani added, “The Ministry of Health has tried hard to find the necessary solutions by increasing the number of beds several years ago and by constructing buildings that raised the capacity from 500 to 690 beds. The ministry has also provided the hospital with many extra employees despite the lack of job vacancies. All of this was done with the objective of reducing the pressure on the hospital especially since it is a reference hospital for all the mental health hospitals in the Kingdom.
