PATIENTS and doctors at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) Accident and Emergency department have been sweating it out without proper air-conditioning for the last four months, it emerged yesterday.
Although the air-conditioners in treatment rooms A and B were working, doctors say there is virtually no cooling, with technicians unable to fix the problem.
However, Health Ministry director of engineering and maintenance Mohammed Abdulla Al Qahtaani claimed that nothing was wrong with the air-conditioning.
“There are hundreds of people going in and out of the department and leaving doors open and that is not an ideal situation,” he said.
“We have recently added new extensions to the department and that needs all areas to be secured from the outside elements.
“We still have to instal new air-conditioners in the department, for which we have started the tender process. That will take a while to happen.”
A doctor, who didn’t want to be named, said that the situation had been on going for a long time.
He said that several complaints had been made to health authorities about the situation.
“We have brought this matter up several times and we have been assured it will be fixed, but nothing has happened,” said the doctor.
“Meanwhile, we continue to be at the mercy of just one fan each in the rooms.
“One of the fans has also now broken down, leaving us in a very uncomfortable situation.”
Sources said that the two treatment areas are full of patients, with several patients even lining the corridors.
They say that this was an everyday occurrence with which doctors and other staff were trying their best to cope.
“We are not only overloaded with patients, we also have to deal with frayed tempers when the air-conditioning does not work,” said another doctor, who didn’t want to be named.
He said the situation had grown to such an extent that some patients had even resorted to getting their own pedestal fans.
“This is not a situation we should be having in the country’s only public hospital,” said the doctor.
Patient Mohammed Mahmood, who occupied one of the beds in Room A, said he had been suffering for the last 24 hours.
“I came here with stomach pain and I have been confined to this bed,” he said.
“I am being looked after well, but I am very uncomfortable. I wish they transfer me to another room or send me home.”
Another patient, Umm Abdulla, said she had been suffering in the hospital since Tuesday night.
“Doctors tell me I will have to be shifted to another ward, but they also say there is no bed available,” she said.
“All I want is more comfort. Here it is very suffocating.”
The two treatment areas collectively can accommodate around 40 patients.
The other treatment areas, C and D, as well as the recently added new extension, can accommodate another 60.
Gulf daily