RIYADH, 27 January 2008 — The government will bear the medical expenses for the treatment of premature babies transferred from government to private hospitals due to lack of facilities, a senior Health Ministry official said yesterday.
“The new scheme is being introduced considering the financial implications of mothers of premature infants who will face (financial) problems when their babies are shifted to nearby private hospitals where needed facilities, such as incubators and neonatal intensive care units, are available,” said Dr. Ali Al-Qahtani, general director of hospitals at the Ministry of Health.
Both Saudi and expatriate mothers are admitted to government maternity hospitals throughout the Kingdom.
Al-Qahtani pointed out that the Ministry of Health is keen on providing the best medical care to the pregnant mothers who patronize the Primary Health Care Centers in all parts of the Kingdom. “The centers give them the necessary health care from the time of their pregnancy and the ministry wants to see their infants are also given proper care,” he added. In accordance with the Ministry of Health circular, Al-Qahtani stressed that all hospitals, be private or government, should admit pregnant mothers who come for confinement without any conditions.
“They should not demand any money from them for admission,” he said.
He said it is a public duty to help such mothers who are brought into hospitals for immediate treatment. He noted that the Ministry of Health has been closely monitoring all private hospitals, particularly with regard to admitting pregnant women. “Any hospital found violating this rule would be severely dealt with in accordance with the regulations of the ministry,” he added.
