Four years have passed after the completion of the 200-bed Maternity and Children's Hospital in Al-Kharj but it is still not fully functional due to construction defects. People have called upon the Health Ministry to correct the defects quickly to ensure the hospital's full-scale operation. Al-Hayat Arabic daily reported that a number of maternity and children's hospitals in different cities that followed the same construction pattern were facing similar problems. Engineers said the ministry has to spend huge amounts to correct the defects in these hospitals. Al-Kharj people were happy to see the work on the hospital completed as they believed that it would improve health services in the city and reduce pressure on King Khalid Hospital, which is crowded with patients. The hospital's official opening has been delayed for four years and only its outpatient clinics are now functioning, the paper said. People with low income have been awaiting the hospital's opening as it would bring down their medical expenses. At present they depend on private hospitals for child births. Maha Al-Anazi, 30, said she visited the new hospital for delivery but the authorities told her that they have not started accepting delivery cases and referred her to King Khalid Hospital. "We hope the Health Ministry would take quick action to provide full-scale services at the hospital." Al-Anazi said she had to visit a private hospital in Riyadh to deliver her child because King Khalid Hospital was overcrowded. "The maternity and children's hospital is essential in Al-Kharj to provide special care for pregnant women until and after delivery," she told Al-Hayat Arabic daily. At present only two clinics for dermatology and ophthalmology are operating at the hospital, an official source said. "We refer delivery cases to other hospitals," he added. The hospital was established at a cost of SR198 million. The project lacks a blood bank and facilities for storing medicines while the building has technical defects including leakage of water from the roof and electrical wiring faults. The department of public relations and health information at Health Affairs in Riyadh acknowledged the problems and confirmed that the new Al-Kharj hospital would be opened shortly after correcting construction mistakes. "We'll then open the maternity ward at the hospital meeting the required standard," said a department official, requesting anonymity. He said three children's clinics were operating at the hospital five days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. "Three consultants and two specialists work at these clinics in addition to resident pediatricians," he said. It has a general pediatric clinic and a pediatric diabetes clinic, he added. The hospital will have seven highly advanced labor rooms and a blood bank when it becomes fully operational. "We have called tenders to establish a warehouse for medicines," he added. The hospital has facilities such as X-ray, pharmacy, nutrition and ophthalmic clinics, two ENT clinics and a clinic for patients with hearing troubles. "We'll operate these clinics soon after obtaining the required manpower," he added. The hospital will have 922 staff members including doctors, nurses and administrative staff when fully operational. The official also spoke about the new 200-bed mental hospital in Al-Kharj. It requires infrastructure such as communication, water and sewage networks. "We have not yet signed contracts for general and medical maintenance," he added. The hospital will be manned by 280 employees including doctors and nurses and the project comprises housing for staff members.
