Saudi Arabia’s health minister Khalid Al-Falih on Wednesday sacked the health director of Jazan region, and blamed his ministry for a blaze that killed 24 people and injured dozens of others at Jazan General Hospital.
The fire, which swept through the hospital’s maternity ward and intensive care unit on Dec. 24, was reportedly caused by a short circuit, Al-Falih said in a press conference Wednesday.
Investigations so far showed there was no foul play, but the committee said it found critical engineering errors in the hospital’s design and its safety systems.
“The health ministry oversaw the consultant and the contractor for the property, and received a facility that was not yet qualified to house patients,” Al-Falih said. “The ministry of health did not address this problem before launching the hospital; and therefore, the blame falls on the ministry.”
As a result, the ministry has sought the help of the Saudi center of accreditation for health facilities and international companies to refurbish the kingdom’s hospitals and conduct a survey to ensure that hospitals are fit to receive patients, he added.
Write to Reem Abdellatif at reem.a@argaam.com
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