“This is a new arrangement that has been made on the instructions of Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who has directed the directors of all health regions in the Kingdom to give an opportunity to members of the public to meet them on Tuesdays,” said Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Dakheel, supervisor general of the Patients Relations Department at the MoH.

He added that the new system would enable citizens to directly meet responsible health officials to discuss problems.

According to a recent survey in Taif, Al-Dakheel said that 90 percent of complaints received from the public were caused by miscommunication between health officials and patients or their concerned relatives.

He added that 50 percent of the relatives of people who die in government hospitals believe that the deaths were due to medical errors.

He said that such a direct dialogue between the aggrieved parties and health officials will help clear misunderstandings. “This is an open-door policy to bridge the gap between members of the public and health officials,” said the supervisor general.

The ministry will also operate a hot line (01 2124224) to receive complaints. According to the MoH’s manual, said Al-Dakheel, patients and their relatives have the right to lodge complaints.

Meanwhile, the MoH opened an Emergency Control Center earlier this week to coordinate the transfer of emergency patients to and from hospitals across the Kingdom.

The center has been established on the instructions of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who wants emergency cases to be treated promptly.

The center, which has a doctor and technician on duty, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be contacted on 01 2124133.