King checks on Irbid public services

His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday paid a visit to Irbid and checked on a number of public service facilities in the northern governorate. King Abdullah toured the Abdul Rahman Halhouli Primary School and ordered the transfer of its students from the current rented building to the old premises of the King Abdullah School for Excellence after carrying out the required renovations there by the Royal Court. The Royal Court has built new premises for the school for excellence in Irbid.During the tour, the King was briefed on the challenges facing the school, including overcrowding, shortage of services and infrastructure, such as labs and play areas, according to a Royal Court statement.School Director Mahmoud Farhat said the premises were rented in 1971 and include 10 classrooms where 305 students from the third to the sixth grades receive education.King Abdullah also visited the Princess Basma Educational Hospital yesterday, which was established in 1960 with the capacity of 50 beds. The hospital was expanded several times since its establishment and now accommodates 204 beds.The King listened to comments by patients, who called for better services.While touring the facility’s units, the Monarch directed concerned authorities to draw up a comprehensive plan to improve services at all public hospitals, with a special focus on the intensive care and emergency units.He said that each of the Kingdom’s 12 governorates has to have at least one hospital accredited by the Health Care Accreditation Council.Only four hospitals out of the 31 affiliated with the Ministry of Health have obtained accreditation from the council so far.King Abdullah was briefed by the hospital director, Akram Khasawneh, on the facility’s needs, which include enhancing the medical cadres and upgrading its equipment and units.With more than 45 cases admitted to the hospital on a daily basis, the hospital serves residents of the northern region’s four governorates. The emergency unit receives around 463 cases each day, while the outpatient clinics receive more than 807 cases on a daily basis, the director noted.Khasawneh underlined that due to overcrowding, the hospital’s outpatient clinics were moved to a building near the Princess Rahma Hospital, stressing that the growing number of patients poses a “heavy” burden on the medical and technical cadres.King Abdullah also visited the Passports and Civil Status Department’s division in Irbid and listened to a briefing on its services by its director Rashid Shouha.He also listened to the complaints of people, who noted that they have to queue for long hours due to the shortage of employees in vital units.The King instructed officials to delegate more authority to field units and to upgrade computers so as to expedite the processes involved.