Saudi Gazette report

UNAIZAH — A number of Unaizah residents are wondering about the fate of the dental center that was approved by the Ministry of Health several years ago and has been established with a budget of more than 50 million riyals, but remains yet incomplete. People pointed out that they are still waiting to see the project start and end their suffering waiting for appointments that take more than a month at King Saud Hospital and 14 primary health care centers in Unaizah, while there are only 4 dentists.

Patients are forced to visit private hospitals and clinics, which are costly especially since toothache is intolerable.

Ahmed Saleh stressed the importance of investigating the fate of the dental center. He noted that the area residents suffer a lot when they seek treatment for dental pain in King Saud Hospital and primary health care centers.

He said that when his teeth ached he got an appointment at the hospital after a month. He could not bear the pain, and two weeks later went to a private clinic, which cost him a lot of money.

He said: "Thank God I have the ability to go to private clinics, but there are many who cannot. Their pain gets worse by the minute as they wait for the next available appointment," stressing the importance of accelerating the construction of dental center promised for Unaizah.

Yusuf Al-Saif said that he went to the King Saud Hospital and was given an appointment after a month and a half, indicating that he had to wait until the visit, after having lived a difficult period of pain and suffering.

He called on the management of King Saud Hospital in Unaizah to find a solution for delayed appointments, asking the Ministry of Health to develop dental departments in primary health care centers.

Fahad Al-Mahmoud said that they have seven dentists in seven health centers, but only four of them show up for their work, and the rest are not there, wondering why they are absent.

He appealed to the Ministry of Health to move quickly and begin the construction of the dental center in Unaziah.

Hamoud Al-Nasser recounted his suffering while searching for a cure for his teeth, noting that he could not believe that it took months to get any appointment at King Saud Hospital in Unaziah, while there are dentists in the primary health care centers but they do not show up at their clinics.