DAMMAM — Finding an intensive care unit bed at Qatif Central Hospital continues to be extremely difficult for families who need emergency care for their loved ones, Al-Hayat newspaper reported.
Most families find difficulty getting a spot and it is claimed most Eastern Province hospitals do not have enough ICU beds that can accommodate patients with acute asthma, who are in a coma or suffered skull fractures.
Many patients in critical condition spend hours and in some cases days in the emergency unit waiting for an ICU bed to be available.
EP Health Affairs Directorate spokesman Khalid Al-Osaimi told Al-Hayat the directorate is coordinating with public and private hospitals to make ICU beds available for those patients.
Little did Abu Nasser know that there would come a day when his only dream would be to find a vacant ICU bed for his son who had a horrific road accident.
He said: “My son is 14 years old and he had tragic road accident while he was going on an excursion with his relatives.
“He suffered intermittent loss of consciousness and eventually went into a coma.”
The accident took place on a Saturday and Abu Nasser had waited 12 hours for a vacant ICU bed at Al-Qatif Central Hospital but to no avail.
“We were literally shocked because there was no single bed available.”
The hospital management contacted several public and private hospitals and Abu Nasser did the same.
It took a while before finally a bed became available at the ICU of the hospital.
Throughout this time, his son was lying on a bed at the emergency unit with a skull fracture and brain hemorrhage.
Another family told Al-Hayat how they were devastated when they could not find a vacant ICU bed for their son who also had a road accident and had fallen into a coma.
They had to wait more than 24 hours before a bed became available at a private hospital.
Angry, the family accused Al-Qatif Central Hospital of negligence because their son, who stayed 24 hours in the emergency unit, was not given proper medical attention by the staff although he was having a hemorrhage.
Another family lived the same nightmare when the father's heart stopped for 11 minutes inside the emergency unit following a severe asthma attack.
He needed quick intervention and admission to the ICU but there was no vacant bed at the hospital.
The father stayed two days in the emergency unit before he was moved to the ICU.
In a statement to Al-Hayat, Al-Osaimi said Al-Qatif Central Hospital handles a large number of cases and referral from nearby hospitals because it has specialist and consultant doctors in neurosurgery and chest diseases.
If the hospital does not have an ICU bed, it will contact other public hospitals and try to find one.
If there is no bed, it will contact private hospitals.
The last option the hospital will take is to transfer the patient to a hospital outside the region.
Many residents of Al-Qatif have called for a new hospital to be opened and in response the Health Ministry said it would build a new 500-bed hospital.
The ministry will also build a 300-bed maternity and children's hospital in addition to a center of dental clinics and a specialist hospital for patients who suffer from hereditary blood diseases that are prevalent in Qatif.
