Top compensation proposed for Saudi Arabian MERS-hit medical staff

[al-Hasani]

CONCERNED: Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah meets the staff at King Fahd Hospital during his visit to check on the condition of patients. (SPA)​

JEDDAH: P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR

Published — Friday 11 April 2014

Last update 10 April 2014 11:54 pm

The Ministry of Health is weighing a proposal to consider health workers who die of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus as martyrs, and to qualify for compensation like military and police officers killed in the line of duty.
Abdullah Al-Asiri, assistant deputy minister for preventive medicine, said the ministry’s human resources department was also considering moral and financial support for those medical staff dealing with infectious diseases. Al-Asiri’s statement follows the death of doctors and paramedics who contracted MERS.
Meanwhile, Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah arrived at King Fahd Hospital here Thursday to check on the condition of patients and staff. He urged health officials in the city to take all precautionary measures to contain the deadly virus and protect public health.
Prince Mishaal told several citizens and residents at the hospital the situation was under control, and that they should not worry about a fresh MERS outbreak in the city. He urged the hospital staff to provide the best care for patients.
The governor was briefed by hospital officials on the measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus. “We have sterilized all the emergency units at the hospital and trained our workers including nurses and paramedics on how to handle MERS cases. We have also advised visitors on how to protect themselves from the disease,” one official told the governor.
The official stressed that the hospital has not received any confirmed MERS cases over the past two days. “Our laboratories have tested samples from about 900 suspected cases and found only 20 of them positive,” he said.
The governor inspected the hospital’s sterilization unit, one of the most advanced in the Middle East, as well as medical equipment used for testing samples from suspected cases. The emergency ward at the hospital was shut down for 24 hours on Monday.
A paramedic at King Abdul Aziz Hospital was among two victims of the disease this week, bringing the nationwide death toll to 66.

Top compensation proposed for MERS-hit medical staff | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.

Should we fear this @Arabian Legend ? If so then you have to invite me to Al-Baha where I can seek refugee in the mountains when I get back. Or I need to seek refugee in the other mountainous regions of Hijaz or the Southern Provinces.

Maybe take a drastic step and seek refugee in the Rub' al-Khali.

 

[Arabian Legend]

Should we fear this @Arabian Legend ? If so then you have to invite me to Al-Baha where I can seek refugee in the mountains when I get back. Or I need to seek refugee in the other mountainous regions of Hijaz or the Southern Provinces.

Maybe take a drastic step and seek refugee in the Rub' al-Khali.

HAHAHAHAH Al-Baha welcomes you at any time.

You better be careful, MERS is contagious disease causes severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by coronaviruses that affect upper and lower respiratory system. The virus is fatal if not confronted at first stage.

 

[al-Hasani]

HAHAHAHAH Al-Baha welcomes you at any time.

You better be careful, MERS is contagious disease causes severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by coronaviruses that affect upper and lower respiratory system. The virus is fatal if not confronted at first stage.

I will only seek refugee with the Banu Harb to annoy you deliberately. Just kidding.

I do not know much about this disease. But it is worrying. 1 of my elder sisters is a doctor but she is working in the UAE! Which already has this disease.

I know very little about medicine but it is very interesting.

Is it also fatal for healthy young people or only children and elder people?

You need to be careful! Especially in Riyadh.

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Good we should always tend up to compensate the harmed ones.

After all we do care about them, unlike many other nations in the neighborhood.

 

[al-Hasani]

Good we should always tend up to compensate the harmed ones.

After all we do care about them, unlike many other nations in the neighborhood.

I am worried about elders and children now that this has spread to different parts of the country.

Thank God that we blocked those pilgrims coming from Guinea that were at risk of carrying that Ebola disease from entering KSA.

I hope that they find a cure soon.

 

[Arabian Legend]

I will only seek refugee with the Banu Harb to annoy you deliberately. Just kidding.

I do not know much about this disease. But it is worrying. 1 of my elder sisters is a doctor but she is working in the UAE! Which already has this disease.

I know very little about medicine but it is very interesting.

Is it also fatal for healthy young people or only children and elder people?

You need to be careful! Especially in Riyadh.

The virus knows no one. It affects both healthy young and old people.

Don't worry about me Im cautious.

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Get your white a$$ off Al-Baha to Riyadh once more

The virus knows no one. It affects both healthy young and old people.

Don't worry about me Im cautious.

 

[Arabian Legend]

Get your white a$$ off Al-Baha to Riyadh once more

I work at KFMC. Last time I visited Al-Baha was 8 years ago. I was born and raised in Riyadh. Al-Baha is a beautiful place but Riyadians can't live beyond Riyadh if you know what I mean.

 

[al-Hasani]

I work at KFMC. Last time I visited Al-Baha was 8 years ago. I was born and raised in Riyadh. Al-Baha is a beautiful place but Riyadians can't live beyond Riyadh if you know what I mean.

​

KFCM is world class though.

Enjoy the construction work and occasional dust storms and Najdi company.

 

[Arabian Legend]

​

hahahhahhahah love that meme.

Once you get back to KSA we can all go me you and yzd, juba, full moon, hadbani and the rest. I'll show you around. Will take @BLACKEAGLE with us as well.

 

[al-Hasani]

hahahhahhahah love that meme.

Once you get back to KSA we can all go me you and yzd, juba, full moon, hadbani and the rest. I'll show you around. Will take @BLACKEAGLE with us as well.

That would be great. I am back this summer (late June) and maybe I am going to stay by then for a longer period. A bit tired of living as a nomad.

We need @burning_phoneix and a few other gang members with us and maybe also our Pakistani friends in KSA.

@Bubblegum Crisis as well. It's been 2 years ago since I was last in Riyadh. Summer 2012. A lot has changed since.

@Yzd Khalifa should invite us to Texas, LOL.

 

[Arabian Legend]

That would be great. I am back this summer (late June) and maybe I am going to stay by then for a longer period. A bit tired of living as a nomad.

We need @burning_phoneix and a few other gang members with us and maybe also our Pakistani friends in KSA.

@Bubblegum Crisis as well. It's been 2 years ago since I was last in Riyadh. Summer 2012. A lot has changed since.

@Yzd Khalifa should invite us to Texas, LOL.

Ok, I will get everything packed up and ready to go.

 

[al-Hasani]

Ok, I will get everything packed up and ready to go.

I wonder if the Najdis are behind.

 

[al-Hasani]

MERS kills another expat in Jeddah

​

RIYADH: MD RASOOLDEEN & P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR

Published — Tuesday 15 April 2014

Last update 15 April 2014 2:35 am

Five more MERS cases, including one fatality, were reported in Jeddah on Monday. An official from the Ministry of Health said the latest victim was a 70-year-old expat living in the Western Province.
“Three citizens and a 56-year-old foreign worker have also been affected by the virus; their condition is said to be stable,” the official told Arab News.
The three Saudis who were infected were in their early 50s and are being treated at the ICU of a local hospital, while the other two, aged 28 and 45, are undergoing clinical tests.
Sources said at least 30 paramedics in Jeddah have been infected over the past week, four of whom are in the ICU. There is a huge demand for masks and gloves at pharmacies.
A laboratory tested around 190 suspected samples on Monday and only five were found positive, the official said.
Meanwhile, private schools in the capital have alerted their teachers to look for children showing symptoms of MERS and quarantine them promptly.
Insurance companies have refused to cover MERS cases. Abdul Kareem Al-Tamimi, a member of the health insurance committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said international organizations have classified MERS as an infectious disease.
“Insurance companies deal with infectious diseases like natural calamities and will not cover them,” he said. “The cost of health insurance is expected to reach SR15 billion this year, a five-percent increase since 2013. Several service providers will incur losses.”
However, an insurance specialist, who requested anonymity, told Arab News that insurance companies could cover MERS cases in coordination with the ministry and reclaim the extra costs incurred from the government.
“Epidemic cases are generally covered by the government since it will take measures to prevent the spread of the disease,” he said.
The Kingdom has reported 194 cases of MERS since September 2012, with the death toll reaching 69 on Monday.

MERS kills another expat in Jeddah | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.

​

Jeddah residents told to guard against MERS

Medical workers wear masks as they leave the emergency section in King Fahad hospital in the city of Hofuf, 370 kms East of the Saudi capital Riyadh, in this June 16, 2013 file photo. (AFP)

JEDDAH: FADIA JIFFRY

Published — Tuesday 15 April 2014

Last update 15 April 2014 3:17 am
​

​

The Health Ministry has advised Jeddah’s residents to take precautionary measures against the coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of 68 people and infected 189 since September 2012.
Pharmacies have noted a sudden frenetic rush, with residents flocking to purchase hand sanitizers, face masks and anything that can help keep them safe from the virus.
“The Ministry of Health along with the World Health Organization (WHO) and international experts is working on collecting more information about this deadly virus,” said Khalid Mirghalani, spokesman for the Ministry of Health.
“There is no vaccine for the virus so far,” he said. “But the MoH advises residents to avoid unnecessary panic and instead follow instructions and take precautionary measures to stay safe according to MOH guidelines.”
The Ministry of Health recently released a set of guidelines for protection and advised residents in the Kingdom to follow them.
The ministry’s set of precautionary measures obliged the use of face masks in crowded places, especially during Umrah and Haj, and to avoid contact with patients and their personal effects.
Further measures encouraged the continual washing of hands, the use of hand disinfectants, the use of paper towels to cough or sneeze and several others.
The guidelines also highlight signs and symptoms of the coronavirus infection, which include cough, fever, nose and throat congestion, shortness of breathing, and in some cases, diarrhea. In advanced cases, patients can suffer serious complications, such as severe pneumonia, which can lead to death.
Several schools in the Kingdom have been recording a high rate of student absenteeism, although the Ministry of Education denied the closure of schools, stating that “there is no coronavirus among students.”
The Ministry of Health said it is taking “all precautionary measures for persons who have been in contact with infected people and has taken samples from them to examine if they are infected.”
Meanwhile, several doctors and health experts in the Kingdom are conducting health awareness programs to create awareness and educate people on the prevention of the deadly virus.
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), another term for the coronavirus, was first reported in the Kingdom in 2012.
The relatively high fatality rate is, however, attributed to other factors, such as old age or other medical conditions.

For queries, ring 800 249 4444

Jeddah residents told to guard against MERS | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.​

Stay safe out there people.​

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Better be safe than sorry. R.I.P

MERS kills another expat in Jeddah

​

RIYADH: MD RASOOLDEEN & P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR

Published — Tuesday 15 April 2014

Last update 15 April 2014 2:35 am

Five more MERS cases, including one fatality, were reported in Jeddah on Monday. An official from the Ministry of Health said the latest victim was a 70-year-old expat living in the Western Province.
“Three citizens and a 56-year-old foreign worker have also been affected by the virus; their condition is said to be stable,” the official told Arab News.
The three Saudis who were infected were in their early 50s and are being treated at the ICU of a local hospital, while the other two, aged 28 and 45, are undergoing clinical tests.
Sources said at least 30 paramedics in Jeddah have been infected over the past week, four of whom are in the ICU. There is a huge demand for masks and gloves at pharmacies.
A laboratory tested around 190 suspected samples on Monday and only five were found positive, the official said.
Meanwhile, private schools in the capital have alerted their teachers to look for children showing symptoms of MERS and quarantine them promptly.
Insurance companies have refused to cover MERS cases. Abdul Kareem Al-Tamimi, a member of the health insurance committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said international organizations have classified MERS as an infectious disease.
“Insurance companies deal with infectious diseases like natural calamities and will not cover them,” he said. “The cost of health insurance is expected to reach SR15 billion this year, a five-percent increase since 2013. Several service providers will incur losses.”
However, an insurance specialist, who requested anonymity, told Arab News that insurance companies could cover MERS cases in coordination with the ministry and reclaim the extra costs incurred from the government.
“Epidemic cases are generally covered by the government since it will take measures to prevent the spread of the disease,” he said.
The Kingdom has reported 194 cases of MERS since September 2012, with the death toll reaching 69 on Monday.

MERS kills another expat in Jeddah | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.
​

Jeddah residents told to guard against MERS

Medical workers wear masks as they leave the emergency section in King Fahad hospital in the city of Hofuf, 370 kms East of the Saudi capital Riyadh, in this June 16, 2013 file photo. (AFP)
​

JEDDAH: FADIA JIFFRY

Published — Tuesday 15 April 2014

Last update 15 April 2014 3:17 am
​

The Health Ministry has advised Jeddah’s residents to take precautionary measures against the coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of 68 people and infected 189 since September 2012.
Pharmacies have noted a sudden frenetic rush, with residents flocking to purchase hand sanitizers, face masks and anything that can help keep them safe from the virus.
“The Ministry of Health along with the World Health Organization (WHO) and international experts is working on collecting more information about this deadly virus,” said Khalid Mirghalani, spokesman for the Ministry of Health.
“There is no vaccine for the virus so far,” he said. “But the MoH advises residents to avoid unnecessary panic and instead follow instructions and take precautionary measures to stay safe according to MOH guidelines.”
The Ministry of Health recently released a set of guidelines for protection and advised residents in the Kingdom to follow them.
The ministry’s set of precautionary measures obliged the use of face masks in crowded places, especially during Umrah and Haj, and to avoid contact with patients and their personal effects.
Further measures encouraged the continual washing of hands, the use of hand disinfectants, the use of paper towels to cough or sneeze and several others.
The guidelines also highlight signs and symptoms of the coronavirus infection, which include cough, fever, nose and throat congestion, shortness of breathing, and in some cases, diarrhea. In advanced cases, patients can suffer serious complications, such as severe pneumonia, which can lead to death.
Several schools in the Kingdom have been recording a high rate of student absenteeism, although the Ministry of Education denied the closure of schools, stating that “there is no coronavirus among students.”
The Ministry of Health said it is taking “all precautionary measures for persons who have been in contact with infected people and has taken samples from them to examine if they are infected.”
Meanwhile, several doctors and health experts in the Kingdom are conducting health awareness programs to create awareness and educate people on the prevention of the deadly virus.
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), another term for the coronavirus, was first reported in the Kingdom in 2012.
The relatively high fatality rate is, however, attributed to other factors, such as old age or other medical conditions.

For queries, ring 800 249 4444

Jeddah residents told to guard against MERS | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.

Stay safe out there people.​