In compliance with the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa the Prime Minister, regarding the extending the working hours in Health Centers (HCs) and in order to fulfill the wish of inhabitants in the area, the Minister of Health Sadiq bin Abdul-Kareem Al-Shehabi ordered ministry officials to study the possibility for extending working hours in the Bank of Bahrain’s Health Center and the Kuwaiti Health Center (Al-Hidd) and to discuss this during a meeting of the High Commission this later week.
The Minister of Health said that there are 26 HCs operating all over the Kingdom in addition to the Bahrain Airport’s Health Center. The Minister said that the Ministry has included in its strategic goals easy accessibility to health services, including the expansion in construction of HCs and extending working hours according to the needs of each and every area. This includes the extending of working hours in HCs provided that there should be at least one health center open from morning until midnight and another health center should be open 24/7 in each government.
The Minister of Health pointed out that all HCs currently are operational in the morning shift and four hours in the evening shift. Also, there are 4 HCs operational until midnight (12 am) and also during official holidays. However, both the Muharraq Health Center and the Hamad Kanoo Health Center in East Riffa are operational 24/7.
Also, regarding new HCs under construction, there are 2 HCs namely: The Shaikh Salman Health Center in Halat Bu Maher neighborhood which replaces the old center and the Shaikh Jabir Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah in Barbar area which will work 24/7 to become operational by the end of this year.
The Minister of Health Sadiq bin Abdul-Kareem Al-Shehabi praised His Royal Highness the Prime Minister’s keenness and follow- up of citizens’ requirements and needs and verification of implementation mechanisms thereof. The Minister of Health affirmed that studying the file of extending working hours for both Health Centers is by the Ministry is a must in compliance with the directives of His Royal Highness the Prime Minister.
The Minister of Health also urged the honorable public to avail from the health services provided by HCs, asserting the Ministry’s keenness on providing high-quality primary, secondary medical and health care to all citizens and residents.