RIYADH, 20 February 2004 — King Fahd Medical City (KFMC), the largest medical complex in the Middle East, is in Riyadh and consists of a main hospital, maternity hospital, pediatric hospital, rehabilitation center and primary care clinics. In addition to the hospitals there are a burns treatment unit, kidney center, intensive care facilities and spinal cord treatment unit.

Arab News met Dr. Mansour Al-Howasi, deputy minister for executive affairs in the Ministry of Health and the head of the administrative council of KFMC.

Question: As we know, government plans aim at Saudization. How do you plan to Saudize posts in hospitals? What about nursing? Will we see qualified Saudi nurses?

Answer: If we recruit a non-Saudi, that is a temporary solution until he or she can be replaced by a Saudi. It’s too early to discuss this issue because we are still in the early stages, having been working for only several months. We will work to have an all-Saudi staff. We also have a plan for training Saudis both inside and outside the Kingdom.

Have you sought help, at least in the early stages, from other countries with experience in building and administering medical cities?

We sought help from no other country. Everything was prepared and carried out by our colleagues in the Ministry of Health (MOH). It is a 100 percent Saudi success story.

Will KFMC have a body to investigate medical errors?

It already exists. It includes consultants from universities nominated by the Ministry of Higher Education and consultants nominated by the Ministry of Health. It is considered a medical court and it investigates patients’ rights whether a complaint is filed or not.

We have eight courts and they meet twice a week and make various decisions but like other courts, the results are not made public. Only those directly affected know the results. We must differentiate between medical errors and complications resulting from medical treatment.

SR15 billion is the Ministry of Health’s budget for this year. How much did KFMC get?

KFMC’s budget for the coming year is SR300 million for operations including medical and non-medical maintenance and catering contracts.

Do you think that amount will cover the costs since many hospitals are replacing old equipment?

We have a plan to replace some equipment within the available budget and in the future we plan to reach the target for replacing our equipment.

How long do you think it will take for the medical city to be completely operational?

That is linked to the budget in the coming years.

As you know most of the MOH patients are simple, often illiterate, people. How do you plan to get the relevant information to the public?

We are using all possible media channels in order to reach every level of society.

Medication in all government hospitals is free. Is that true at KFMC? Will non-Saudis get the same benefits?

It is well known that medication is free of charge in all MOH hospitals. This also applies to KFMC. There are eligibility rules which arrange the matter and make everything clear.