IT is a pity that six health centers in Jeddah are out of commission though construction has been completed because electricity has not been delivered to the centers. What is most regrettable is the blame game between the Health Affairs and the electricity company, each of which blame the other for the mess. A newspaper report said the Saudi Electricity Company attributed the non-delivery of power to the health centers to failure by the Health Affairs to meet three requirements: compliance by contractors to implement thermal insulation, payment of the installation fees and a no-objection certificate from the municipality. The company pointed out that the Health Affairs requested to the company to supply power to the facilities and determine the fees in a letter, which the company responded to in November last year, but the payment has not been made yet. But the Health Affairs is insisting that there was no official response from the electricity company to their request, the report said. When we read this, we cannot but believe that the Health Affairs is located in Malta and the electricity company is in Costa Rica and the letter requesting electricity supply flew with the crazy winds that blew up ships cruising between the islands or the pirates of high seas stole it while looting the ship carrying the pricey deed. The way each party addresses the issue suggests that neither feels the burden of responsibility toward the government and of providing services to the citizens. It never suggests knowledge of the needs of citizens for such health centers. If the officials in both entities had the slightest sense of responsibility, those health centers would not be on hold while officials blame each other for the disruption. Citizens after all have to bear the bitterness of patience on such practices and wait until a higher authority intervenes to teach both the Health Affairs and the electricity company the meaning of responsibility toward the state and citizens.
