JEDDAH, 4 February — The National Guard hospitals in Riyadh and Jeddah have started to give treatment to civilians on a commercial basis.
The decision comes after the Ministry of Health introduced a scheme allowing consultant doctors to run specialist clinics in government hospitals after normal working hours.
Dr. Fahd Abdul Jabbar, director of health affairs at the National Guard, said his office was merely implementing decision handed down by the higher authorities. The new arrangement will soon be implemented in other National Guard hospitals, he added.
All their services were previously offered free of charge, but from now on both Saudis and expatriates will have to pay. The payment system will be allowed only in the evening sessions on weekdays, but on Thursdays and Fridays it will be available all day.
A part of the income generated under the scheme will go to the budget allocations for the health sector. Some of the money will be used for the payment of hospital workers. A third share will be spent to improve the hospital services.
