JEDDAH — Not only does the Maternity and Children's Hospital in Jeddah admit pregnant women who are going through labor, but it also welcomes mice, insects and cockroaches to live in the hospital building that is more than 50 years old. The Civil Defense issued a report stating that the medical facility has expired according to its construction age. As the mice find shelter in the delivery and rotation offices of doctors, hospital staff were able to catch more than 8 mice and place them in a cage to document the situation with the director of the hospital and to inform the duty manager officially of what had happened. Despite the large sums of money spent by the Ministry of Health for the restoration and maintenance of hospitals and internal departments, the problem was not solved completely. Mice still multiply and spread in different areas throughout the hospital. The hospital's administration is calling on the Ministry of Health to work urgently to combat these insects and rodents that are not supposed to be in a facility that provides public health services. The report issued by Civil Defense stated that the hospital's management has taken some initiatives to improve the facility, but these improvements were not enough. The building is not designed in a way to receive firefighters in case of fire emergencies and emergency exists don't exist. The nursery has so many inflammable oxygen tanks and there are no fire extinguishers available. This report comes at a time when the Civil Defense Department in Jeddah stressed the need for the application of safety requirements in government hospitals and vital installations in order to avoid closure.
