JEDDAH: There’s a Czech proverb that says cleanliness is half of health. Considering this truism, many Saudis are voicing their anger about unhygienic conditions at government-run health clinics in Jeddah.
“The government and Ministry of Health have boasted that they offer free healthcare services that are unique and not available to citizens of even many developed countries in the West and Europe,” said Umm Hashim, a Saudi mother of three as she waited to have her six-month-old son vaccinated in a clinic in Jeddah’s Safa district.
Another mother says she had been coming to this same clinic for 12 years.
“The level of cleanliness and quality of the building has remained the same, and it has even got worse in the past few years,” she said.
Arab News toured some of the free clinics and found that some of them were newly constructed and appeared clean and amply supplied with computers and new medical equipment. On the other hand, other clinics appeared to be old and filthy.
At one such clinic, the registration area was dusty and dirty and appeared to have no computer equipment. Grime was caked into the corners and between the tiles in most of the rooms. Paint was peeling off the walls in the upstairs examination rooms where children receive free vaccinations.
“I am unable to hang my abaya on the door hanger when I report to work out of fear of the cockroaches and other pests crawling around inside the clinic,” said one of the nurses.
The nurse says she does what she can to disinfect examination rooms, but that the Ministry of Health should do more than it is.
“(Ministry of Health) inspectors come, have a look around holding their clipboards and appear to be writing down infractions,” she said. “But then nothing is done and the clinic remains in the same filthy condition.”
Jeddah Health Affairs Director Dr. Sami Badawood told Arab News that the ministry is working to modernize, renovate or replace old clinics.
“We are in the process of developing a plan to replace old clinics and expect the construction process to be completed within the next 18 months,” he said. “We are also very aware through the gathering of information collected by Ministry of Health inspectors that new equipment is also needed and will be added to the facilities once remodeling and refurbishing is completed.”
Badawood explained that some of the older clinics have still remained in use due to the increasing demands in some of the city districts.
“The original plan was to have one clinic per district, but since then we have noticed a vast increase in population and we have decided to construct two clinics per district,” he explained, adding that the current plan is to add an additional 14 clinics throughout the city.
