AL-AHSA, 24 October — The Al-Ahsa Hospital, which was formally inaugurated last week by Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, is already proving to be a vital addition to health care facilities in the Eastern Province.
The region is said to have a high incidence of diabetes, and kidney and respiratory problems. The area has three other private health care facilities aside from a Ministry of Health hospital.
"With our plans for both vertical and horizontal expansion, the hospital will increase its capacity to 210 beds," the hospital’s Executive Manager Abdullah Al-Zarah told a team of journalists from Jeddah. The hospital in its current phase has 50 doctors, 25 paramedics and 125 nurses.
The media visit was organized by Philips Medical Systems Saudi Arabia (PMSSA) to demonstrate the operation of some of its high-tech instruments installed in the hospital, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) and radiology.
Al-Faisaliah Medical and Measurement Systems (FMMS) of the Al-Faisaliah Group is the exclusive Kingdomwide distributor of PMSSA. Saud Saleh Al-Arifi, managing director of medical and media projects sector of Al-Faisaliah Group, and Moukhtar Tayara, general manager of PMSSA, explained their aims, objectives and strategies.
"The hospital, with 36 various subspecialties, aims to become the center of excellence and ultimately a referral center," Al-Zarah added.
"We also have an ongoing educational and awareness program, our objective being to make people aware of various diseases and educate them on preventive and curative aspects," Al-Zarah said, adding: "Besides, we have regular sessions where research papers and interesting day-to-day cases are presented and discussed by specialists."
Conducting visitors on a tour of the hospital, Dr. Hans D. Schrader, medical director and consultant orthopedic surgeon, said it already has three operating theaters with facilities for orthopedic, neuro and ophthalmic surgery, etc., with special emphasis on micro and plastic surgeries.
"We want to have strong departments for endocrinology, hematology and pulmonarology. Respiratory diseases, which are 30 percent endemic due to desert sand, are also receiving added attention from us,’ he said.
Dr. Schrader, who was accompanied by the hospital’s pediatric consultant Dr. Ian Du P. de Wit and public relations manager Adel Ahmad Al-Rashed, said: "High-tech facilities like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) and radiology have been giving excellent results."
According to him, the hospital is linked with a leading South African hospital in Johannesburg for expert consultations.
The crown prince laid the foundation stone of the hospital in April 1999. "The generous support provided by the government prompted the private sector to pool its resources in realizing this hospital project," Al-Zarah said.
Over 110 Saudis work in the hospital, which has achieved 35 percent Saudization.
