RIYADH: A proposal to establish recovery centers to help hospitals accommodate more surgical patients has been rejected by the Shoura Council. The Medical and Environment Committee’s recommendation needed four more votes to be passed.
“We need to discuss how to solve the problem of patients sleeping in hospital mosques due to nonavailability of vacant beds, instead of discussing prospects of building post-surgery recovery centers. Thinking about establishing such centers at this stage is unrealistic,” one Shoura member said.
The lack of beds in hospitals took center stage in Monday’s discussions at the Shoura. The council, however, endorsed the committee’s recommendation of taking necessary measures to increase the number of beds available in hospitals, especially in ER departments.
Shoura member Abdul Rahman Al-Enad said, “Citizens resort to begging in order to secure a bed at a public hospital. I am one of those citizens who resorted to begging to secure a bed with the help of my esteemed medical colleagues, whom I thank.”
The Shoura also endorsed the committee’s recommendation to hire more personnel and secure additional funds.
The council considered a total of six recommendations from the committee, prior to discussions on the Health Ministry’s annual financial report. Council member Ibrahim Al-Khaleel said that the Health Ministry has had the financial support but failed to deliver good medical services.
