Within the framework of the infection control protocols for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), hospitals and healthcare facilities in Makkah, Madinah, and the Holy Sites have taken strict precautionary measures to prevent the spread of MERS-CoV among pilgrims. Triage of patients must be performed before they are checked into hospitals.
"Like all hospitals in Makkah, Madinah and the Holy Sites, Mina Emergency Hospital has raised the bar for preparations this year to deal with Coronavirus. Our medical and technical cadres are ready to perform triage in ambulances before cases are admitted to hospital," said Mr. Moshabab Abdullah Assiri, Director of Medical Records at Ministry of Health, and Head of Information and Statistics Center at Mina Emergency Hospital, deemed to be one of the biggest hospitals in the Holy Sites that receives huge numbers of pilgrims.
Assiri added that upon detection of suspected cases in triage, patients get screened for MERS-CoV, and if they test positive, they get referred to the concerned place, where they get quarantined. The hospital has an outpatient doctor to receive and screen the patient and apply the adopted MERS-CoV measures.
Assiri stated that Mina Emergency Hospital receives patients either through outpatient clinics, which deal with stable cases that require regular examination and fast treatment, or ambulances when it comes to critical cases that need fast response and attention, such as: heart diseases, wounds, and sunstroke. He explained that all cases received are listed in a daily statistical report, to be submitted to the Command and Control Center (CCC).
He noted that last year, the hospital received 22.281 cases through outpatient clinics over 4 days, stressing the hospital readiness to receive more cases this year, no matter what the number may be.
The head of Information and Statistics Center at Mina Emergency Hospital indicated that, this year, the hospital has reached a capacity of 190 beds: 32 beds for surgery, 66 beds for internal medicine, 28 beds for ICU, 2 rooms for dialysis, and 52 rooms for observation and ambulatory care. That's to be added to 4 isolation rooms, and 6 special isolation rooms for MERS-CoV cases.