JEDDAH, 9 June 2003 — Members of the National Home Health Care Foundation went to the city of Bahra and its surrounding communities to give patients in-home treatment. Life for those who live in this part of Saudi Arabia means dealing with poverty and a lack of basic amenities, and not being able to afford the health care required to treat the diseases and social problems that can result from such conditions.
The emphasis of the foundation’s care efforts is hands-on and personal, with a focus on the specific needs of the individuals under its care and the circumstances that give rise to these needs.
The first patient the group visited was 12-year-old Abdullah. Last Ramadan, Abdullah was playing with a family member who for some reason doused him with gasoline and set him on fire. Abdullah suffered third-degree burns to his arms, torso, face and back. He has been under the care of the foundation for the past four months, receiving biweekly visits from a home health care team who teach Abdullah and his family how to care for his injuries and provide them with the ointments and dressings crucial to his improvement, free of charge.
“We’re trying to teach Abdullah and his family about hygiene and trying to show them the importance of adequate care at home both by professionals and his family,” a health care worker told Arab News. “But the problem here is that Abdullah’s family, friends and neighbors come and help themselves to the supplies allocated for Abdullah’s care, simply because they also need help and have nowhere else to turn.”
“There are so many families in Saudi Arabia that are desperately poor,” added Nouf bint Mansour Al-Saud, an active member of the health care team.
Just 10 minutes down the road in a neighboring community was another stop for the home health care team, this time at the home of a 28-year-old man left half paralyzed and brain damaged from a car accident when he was 14. The man must be fed through a tube attached to his stomach. He is unable to do anything for himself. The National Home Health Care Foundation provides him with a live-in nurse, medical equipment, supplies and food crucial to his survival. Nouf bint Mansour Al-Saud is arranging to provide computer and English language training for his elder brother.
The final stop for the tour group was the home of a 71-year-old man suffering from asthma, Parkinson’s disease and congestive heart failure, who is cared for by his daughter with the help of the foundation. The man, husband to two women and father to several children, lies in the middle of a room in an unfurnished brick dwelling. His daughter has devoted her life to his care, refusing even to marry. The foundation provides for weekly visits from medical staff and is trying to arrange for a vacation for the daughter. So far, she refuses.
