I don’t think anyone wants to go into any hospital for an extended stay and especially when in a country not their own. One hears so much about Saudis who leave the Kingdom for medical treatment that perhaps there is a misconception on whether quality care is available inside. So with this in mind, I’d like to share my own recent experience as an inpatient in a government run hospital. There is a distinction between the private and government run hospitals as I described in an earlier post (http://delhi4cats.wordpress.com/2008/06/26/saudi-arabia-private-versus-public-government-hospitals/)
Because I was being admitted for a major surgery consisting of four different procedures, I had to check myself in the night prior to the surgery. Although my doctor requested a private room for me, none were available. It is not unusual for public hospitals to remain consistently full since in most cases the care being provided is free. As a result, I found myself checked into a female surgical ward where I would share a room with three other patients. The room was not necessarily all that large, containing the 4 hospital beds, sundry chairs, one bathroom and one shower. The beds were separated by the use of opaque white curtains one would have draped around the bed. This provided a semblance of privacy but did not block out sounds and tended to make the area a little claustrophobic and hot with poor circulation of air.
I found that this hospital was more lenient as compared to the States with visiting hours and number of guests per patient. First of all, it is traditional for each patient to have a sitter who will stay with them 24/7 during their hospital stay. A sitter is generally a family member or a housemaid. The sitter is very much needed 
and appreciated when one is recovering from a surgery since due to full capacity the nursing staff is kept extremely busy. In addition to the sitter, some visitors may be allowed to visit outside of visiting hours and especially when a patient is recovering from a surgery to give support to their loved one. However at night the ward becomes very social. With the majority of patients being Saudi from large Saudi families it was not unusual for each patient to have in the realm of 10-15 visitors at one time packed amongst the curtains of their little cubicle area in the ward. These visitors could be both male and female. They would come bearing gifts and food. I’m sure you can easily imagine the noise level when within one room containing four patients there could be up to as many as 70 individuals visiting their loved one.
Visiting hours were from 1600 – 2100 hours but not all visitors would be departed until closer to 2200 hours. After the visitors left, the sitters and patients would often chat amongst themselves and share their food and drinks. Even in the hospital the typical traditions continued where as patients the women (who were mobile and feeling well enough) would be awake chatting and visiting until the early hours of the morning and sleep primarily during the day except when visited by their doctors or the nurses coming in from various treatments. I found this practice somewhat distracting for me since even in the hospital I tried to continue a routine of being alert during the day and sleep at night. Although the first two days following my surgery pretty much all I wanted to do was rest and sleep.
I was the lone Westerner as a patient in the ward which made me a subject of curiosity. This is yet another area where my sitter was invaluable in ensuring my privacy was maintained. For the first few days I had little mobility or voice and she made sure no one unnecessarily interrupted me.
I cannot say enough positive on the care I received as an inpatient. In spite of being a full house, the 
doctors, nurses, technicians, housekeeping staff, food staff were outstanding. They were compassionate, friendly, caring and always professional. Each and every one of them had the ideal attitude and composition for their specific line of work. I was very impressed as well as reassured when prior to my surgery, each member of the operating room team checked in on me. He or she introduced themselves to me and explained to me what role they would have while I underwent my six hours of surgery. This certainly went a long way in reassuring me before I was put to sleep. Even after the surgery I received visits from the OR team members while I continued my recovery.
I had some incidents while recovering in the ward which I will share in some future short posts which now that I am home I can now find humorous. These incidents focused around being the only westerner as a patient and the business of the ward. Thoughts that I finish this post with include my own speculation though on whether the crowdedness of the ward impaired or improved recovery? On one hand the many different visitors and activity until late hours in the night were a distraction and impaired rest yet on the other hand, this activity simply increased my own determination to get well enough as soon as possible so I could be released from the hospital. I’m sure that the nursing staff would have intervened if they believed the volume of visitors or noises were impairing a patient’s recovery.
If one is going to be a admitted to a Saudi government hospital, speaking from my own experience as a patient at the National Guard Heath Affairs government run hospital, the care and quality of care is excellent. All the dedicated professionals know their jobs well and are up-to-date on latest procedures and techniques. An expat in the Kingdom should be able to enter a Saudi hospital with confidence and without trepidation.
Filed under: culture, Health, Saudi Arabia
I am not surprised that you’ve given the government run hospital a good review. Medical care is one area in which Saudis have truly excelled, taken all they could from cutting edge technology and contemporary treatment modalities, and bringing it all back to the Kingdom.
How do you see the Saudi-ization initiative working? Back in my day, it was just getting started. I had to train several Saudi students in my lab specialty– Hematology– and they were very good, indeed.
Note to readers living in America: The concept of the sitter is an important one that needs to be incorporated into the American system.
More importantly, and I should have said this first, welcome back! And thanks for telling us a little about your experience. May you continue to recuperate steadily, by the grace of Allah, and achieve full recovery!
Thank you Marahm!
You are so correct that the importance of a sitter should also be incorporated into the American system and for so many reasons…the comfort of being there; the extra set of eyes; the ability to train the sitter from the beginning in anticipation of post-hospital care (such as in my case with dressing changes, etc.).
In regards to Saudiazation and health-care, I believe it is working well. I see Saudis performing in all aspects/positions of health care. Each one of these individuals whom I have seen are professional and competent. The only negative aspect is that Saudi nurses are still in the minority and this is one area where stigmas and biases have yet to be overcome.
oh my God! do not get me started on my experiences with the Bahrain govt hosp….ouch just thinking about it. Short list of my “traumas”.
1. Im apparently the only woman this century that endured a vertical c section…now i have a very large ugly scar that shocks every doctor that has seen it since 1989.
2. I had my jaw broken while removing a tooth because the x ray chick did not read it right ….ouch….needed emergency surgery.
3. I suffered not one…not two…not three…not four(I could go on here but I wont)…but 12 attempts to insert and IV before surgery…before the anesthesia guy came along and took mercy on my swollen arms and contorted face and suggested they wait until I was asleep to attempt some more.
4. I suffered 2 long years from excrutiating pain and numerous trips to the hosp did nothing to alleviate it. Eventually ended up in the emergency room from pancreatitis and cholestitis…which was nearly fatal. Doc told me it was my gall bladder…went home and read my medical book and what I had complained to the many many docs about for 2 years was almost word for word in the medical book under symptoms. I could have wrote it myself.
5. Im allergic to ant bites and ended up in emergency with anaphalatic shock…my tongue so swollen(among other things) that I couldnt speak properly. I nearly died while the nurse and doc tried to figure out what was wrong with me….”funny” thing is…the very next night I was back in there from another ant bite…and the same doc actually spent a few moments deciding the best course of action…shots…ice packs…etc! sheesh
anyhow those are just some of my experiences…its gotten to the point where unless im gushing blood…im slapping on a bandaid and staying home…lol.
Gosh CoolRed, I think I’ll try and stay clear of hospitals in Bahrain!! A vertical C section…why did the doctor decide on such a course of action?! Was your child breech?
By the way, for some reason, since the past week your comments are going to my spam file. I sure don’t know why!
From my own experience, I found health care (and dental care for that matter) in KSA is the best in the world, by far surpassing any other Arab or European countries!
Thanks for your comment, Arabista.
Hey delhi
My son was not breech and I never got a satisfactory answer as to why it was a vertical cut. Worse then the direction of the cut was the suture job done later…a real hack job…very ugly.
I noticed my posts were not being displayed right away…I thought maybe you were censoring me again…lol.
Assalamu alaikum! I came upon your website purely by accident, looking up hospital treatments in the Kingdom, for my husband’s uncle, he did not receive the best care at all. Anyway, thank you so much for your website, my husband’s uncle lives there, one of the many south asian people who are treated poorly like Mexicans here in the States, so your blog gives me a bit more information on what life is like, though I think your life fares far better than my husband’s uncle. I do pray that you recuperate quickly and that all is well for you. Take care!
Sounds very positive! I agree totally with the sitter, as obviously nurses simply don’t have the time tak care of everyone’s needs and wants.
I had such a negative childbirth experience in a goverment hospital in Kuwait back in 84. A nurse had put a used dirty sheet on me, and then I noted a cockroach in my labour room. I never quite got over it, and have since gone to private Drs. and thankfully, have never had to be inpatient for anything other than childbirth.
You’re right, everyone says Saudi has excellent health care, one that should be imitated all over!
Coolred – so sorry to hear of the experiences which you had and glad that you survived them!!
Cowgirl – welcome to the blog! Yes, it is sad that individuals can be treated differently based on nationality but even more so, it depends on where treatment took place. Overall, care in KSA is very good.
Viking Daughter – If I saw a roach in an area which is supposed to be sterile I think I would have flipped out! Ugh!
I never saw or heard of a sitter concept until KSA. Is anyone else aware of this elsewhere? And to further support sitters, the chairs in each room would convert to small beds and of course meals were provided for the sitter as well.
actually I heard – if not mistaken – from an authentic source that Saudi Arabia’s health care system is ranked 21st in the world
not bad… and definitely on the rise and improving with the privatization initiatives from the Ministry of Health… alhamdulilah.
I am only surprised that it is not ranked higher!
Inshallah, you get better and never have to enter a hospital again, but I’m glad that your hospital expirience wan’t too bad.Hamdilallah
My Mom has colon problems and was actually considering going to the Middleast to get treated, and my uncle actually flew there to get a surgery done. I’ve heard that those areas have fine medical treatment. If medicine really is that well, I hope my Mom gets a chance to go there.Inshallah she can!
Best of Luck!Get better soon.=-)
Thank you Sarah. You are right; I do pray that I will not have to enter a hospital again.
I pray that all will go well with your mom.
Best Regards,
Carol