Carrying flowers, six district mayors of Jeddah visited the in-patients department of King Fahd General Hospital (KFGH), on Monday. They were with a group from the Jeddah Directorate of Health that was visiting as part of social outreach program in line with Islamic teachings, said Sami Badawood, director general of health affairs. The visits are aimed at lifting the morale of patients and reassuring them of every health care possible for their recovery, he said. Homoud Al-Harbi, mayor of Al-Jami'ah District, said similar visits would be made to other hospitals in Jeddah. He added that Monday's visit has raised certain matters related to health awareness programs, which the district mayors would like to discuss with health officials. Conceding that there are shortcomings in the programs, Director General Badawood said the objective of spreading health awareness in the city was being better addressed through new programs launched recently. “We are working on dengue fever, osteoporosis, drug and many other issues,” he said. Dr. Abdul-Mon'im Al-Shaikh, director general of the King Fahd Hospital, said that there were misconceptions among the public about medical complications and medical errors. “Some people complain about medical errors, but on investigation we find that it is often due to uncontrolled progression of an ailment, for which medical interference procedures are then professionally done. However, people tend to think that every complication is a medical fault,” he said. Hence the relatives of a patient react emotionally, which is quite understandable, he said. “We then sit with them to explain that complications have worsened the patient's health and that no medical errors were committed.” Badawood also pointed out that doctors might need to do certain invasive investigations as part of diagnosis. “Sometimes, a surgery may end with nothing done to the patient. This is because the surgeon has nothing that should be done,” Badawood said. “We are the best health service provider in the Middle East and I know that neighboring countries have absolute confidence in our health services, but that doesn't mean we are perfect,” Al-Shaikh added. The social service center at KFGH has a proud record of organizing social activities for male and female inpatients. “We have here female socialists who effectively visit female inpatients and listen to their demands and complaints,” said Talal Al-Nashri, director of the center. The center also regularly invites social service activists and volunteers from local societies, like Al-Faisaliyah Society, to participate in the acitivity. “They are very cooperative, and we are thankful,” he said, “They design special programs and events for our patients, offer gifts and show great care for the families of the patients,” he said. __
