By Ahmed Al-Shamrani and Ibrahim Al-Multahimi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

AL-ARDHIYAT — Residents of Al-Ardhiyat governorate in Makkah province are complaining about the shortage of medical staff to attend to the healthcare needs of its 100,000-plus population. The residents said the number of medical centers has increased but the number of healthcare professionals has not. They also said most of the medical centers in the governorate, which is located about 110 kilometers northeast of Qunfudah, did not have advanced medical facilities.

Salih Al-Shamrani, a student counselor, said there was an acute shortage of dentists in the governorate. The seven medical centers depend only one dentist, who is responsible for all seven centers, and above all, he does not have a nurse to assist him, Al-Shamrani said.

The residents were hoping that each medical center would have at least two dentists, one male and one female, he added.

The residents called upon Dr. Abdullah Al-Gharawee, the Health Affairs director in Qunfudah, to end their sufferings, as they have to travel long distances to avail of the services at a hospital that has advanced medical equipment.

Currently, there are two hospitals in the governorate — Nimrah Hospital and Thraiban Hospital – and both are understaffed and do not have enough consultants and specialists.

The residents called upon Al-Gharawee to improve the services of both hospitals and equip them properly, in addition to hiring specialists including ENT surgeons. They also wanted the authorities to build a maternity and children’s hospital in the area.

The emergency unit of Nimrah Hospital should be expanded to accommodate more patients and save them the hassle of traveling tens of kilometers to go to other hospitals.

The residents also complained about the rising number of medical errors in the hospitals and medical centers.

Salih Al-Harthy, a member of the municipal council at Al-Ardhiyat governorate, said the residents were waiting patiently for the authorities to construct fully-equipped hospitals that have pharmacies and consultants in all specializations as a sufficient supply of medications.