According to the Eastern Region Health Affairs, the first Pharmaceutical Consultation Clinic has been launched at outpatient clinics of Ras Tanura Hospital, to facilitate and educate patients about their medication use. The clinic aims to monthly receive 30 patients on Sunday and Tuesday of every week.
“Also, this new clinic aims to achieve a safe, effective and rational use of medicines, through full knowledge of medication and its effects, improving the patient life style and his health outcomes by providing him/her consultation on the correct use of medicines, protecting the beneficiary privacy right, as well as enabling them and their families to actively participate in their own home healthcare, thus promoting therapeutic adherence and response,” stated the Affairs.
It added that the pharmaceutical consultation is currently provided to patients with diabetes, hypertension, asthma, strokes, any neurological and psychiatric disorders, in addition to those patients who need such consultation for taking five medicines or more daily.
It is worth mentioning that a number of health projects have recently been launched (at a total cost of SR 350 M). These projects featured the Asir Central Hospital Infrastructure Development Project, in addition to other developmental projects, such as developing the ICU, adding 23 beds, launching the one-day surgery department, and developing the medical compliance system. Also, some vital projects have been added, including preparing and furnishing Prince Faisal bin Khaled Cardiac Center (with a 72-bed capacity, of which 22 beds for cardiac care) and two catheter labs, establishing a regional laboratory and poison control center, developing emergency transport system, and constructing residential towers at Maternity and Children Hospital-Khamis Mushait. These projects will achieve a qualitative shift in the health services provided for the advanced cases in Asir region, through increasing the ICU bed capacity to quickly accept the critical cases, as well as reducing waiting lists for scheduled surgeries.