The Ministry of Health has devised a comprehensive plan to provide prompt medical services to pilgrims. The arrangement includes establishing new medical centers and updating existing hospital equipment. The substitution of old medical equipment and machines will cost SR218,200,000, said Dr. Khalid Qasim Al-Sumairi, the Director of Health Affairs for the Makkah region. These changes will be particularly evident near holy sites. Work on a new ‘Emergency Hospital' with 300 beds, situated in Mina, close to Jamarat, started on Oct 28. 2006, involving a cost of SR185 million, according to a report published today by Saudi Gazette. Meanwhile, the expansion overheads for the Jabal Rahmat Hospital in Arafat are said to reach SR15 million. The growth will see more outdoor clinics and 50 additional beds. Additionally, Nimrah Hospital's improvements, which include ultra modern medical equipment and a laboratory with the latest testing technology, have cost SR5.5million. Other developments include a warehouse which will store an immediate supply of medicines and other necessities for the medical centers around the holy sites. The depot, which cost SR3 million to construct, is close to the General Hospital in Arafat. The renovation of 11 medical centers in Mina and the replacement of old equipment came with a SR2.5million fee. Similarly, SR187.5 million has been spent on the other hospitals in Makkah and a few others around the holy sites, Al-Sumairi said. The health director added King Abdul Aziz Hospital, King Faisal Hospital, Ajiyad General Hospital, Hera General Hospital, the Maternity and Pediatric Hospital and Noor Specialists Hospital have started working round the clock. --MORE
