Prince Sultan Cardiac Center at King Khaled Hospital – Najran received one of the most sophisticated cardiac emergencies of a lady in her 50s in a totally unstable condition. 10 years ago, she had her mitral valve replaced. After due medical check ups and necessary procedures for such cases, she was diagnosed with clogged artificial mitral valve, which could cause her death in a few hours; thus, requiring an immediate open-heart surgery.
According to Najran Health Affairs, the patient and her family's consent was obtained for the surgery. Then, the patient was taken to operating room. In a high-risk 9-hours procedure, the medical team successfully saved the patient's life by reopening her sternum, as her earlier surgery had caused dense fibrosis. Then, the old vale was replaced by a new one which helped restore her heart beats. Afterwards, she was taken to ICU till her condition stabilized and she fully recovered.
It is worth noting that Prince Sultan Cardiac Center is one of the leading specialized centers in Southern Health Affairs. Equipped with cutting-edge appliances, professional medical staff, the Center provides its cardiac services and receives sophisticated emergencies in the region as well as neighboring areas. Since its inauguration in 1434H., the Center has done 218 open-heart procedures, including 32 in 2017.
On the other hand, over the past week, the 937-Service Center handled 4,375 notifications, including 194 hospital transfer requests. The Center also provided 16,345 medical consultations, and received 36,608 incoming calls, including 14, 371 inquiries and 1, 323 requests for smoking cessation treatment.
The Center provides a range of distinctive services, including inquiries about MOH’s services, outgoing and incoming transactions, health services, medical consultations, and hospital transfer requests based on the medical need, in addition to complaints against public and private health facilities. Also, the center receives all patients’ health-related calls, all complaints 24/7, and refers them to the concerned departments at MOH or its branches, as well as all emergency calls; thus, serving as a listening ear for patients to identify their needs and requirements and to meet them.
It is worth mentioning that the 937-Service Center is one of the most important MOH’s initiatives. It aims to provide medical services through its toll-free number, which can be accessed throughout the Kingdom. The center operates based on listening, response, implementation, and analysis. The performance of regional Health Affairs is evaluated by closing citizens' reports and their satisfaction with the services provided. This assessment is published weekly and directly supervised by the Minister of Health.