His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Jazan Region, announced a while ago the results of the Jazan General Hospital fire, which claimed the lives of (24) dead and (127) injured, during a press conference held by His Highness with the Minister of Health, Dr. Khaled Al-Faleh at the emirate's headquarters.
In which the report of the committee that conducted investigations related to the fire that occurred in Jazan General Hospital on 3/13/1437 was reviewed. In this regard, His Highness expressed his deep condolences to the families of the deceased, may God have mercy on them, asking the Lord to shower them with His great mercy, and His Highness praised his courage and dedication Those who risked themselves to save the patients during the tragic accident, thanking the spirit of great sacrifice in them.
The committee set up by His Highness to investigate the accident concluded that it was accidental and that there was no criminal suspicion, and that it was the result of an electrical fault in the vicinity of the incubators section inside the first floor of the hospital.
It was also found from the investigation that the hospital staff were able to evacuate all the patients who were on the first floor, which includes the incubation, maternity, gynecological and intensive care departments. However, the density of the smoke and its escalation to the upper floors led to deaths occurring in those floors due to smoke suffocation.
The main reason for the smoke that led to the deaths was due to engineering errors in the design and implementation of the building, as sectors were not provided to isolate fires above the false ceiling, which would have prevented the smoke from moving from one area to another.
The defects in the specifications of the materials used in the roof of the building, which contained cork stuffed between the nerves of the concrete roof, contributed to the density of smoke. Likewise, the poor quality of the materials used in the oxygen installations from the top of the roof and their lack of conformity with the correct specifications led to their melting, which fueled the fire. . The failure to connect the fire alarm system to the air conditioning system also contributed to the continuation of the air conditioning operation and the increase in the spread of smoke in the building. Everything related to the construction and receipt of the building is being reviewed, and strict legal measures will be taken against everyone who had a role in poor design and implementation.
The investigations also found that none of the emergency doors were locked or had any chains attached to them, and it was found that there was nothing impeding access to them. However, it was also found that there was a defect in the performance of some safety systems and devices in the hospital, such as fire pumps and alarm systems, as a result of their poor maintenance and care.
His Excellency the Minister of Health has made it clear that due to what has been found of negligence in following up on safety matters by some officials in health affairs in Jazan, they will be held accountable for that, and that he has issued his instructions to relieve the Director General of Health Affairs in Jazan from his post, as well as exemptions to other officials there.
Despite the heroic efforts shown by most of the hospital workers in the evacuation work, there was a failure in the performance of some hospital workers during dealing with the accident, and they will be dealt with according to the regulations.
The investigation showed that the civil defense responded to the accident immediately, but their response and effectiveness was not at the level of the scale of the accident, which required additional equipment from other areas in Jazan, which affected the speed of dealing with the accident.
His Highness, the Emir of the Jazan region, stressed the need to provide all safety conditions at the highest levels in the facilities of the Ministry of Health, including engineering designs, systems, devices, and training of personnel, and to ensure that all means are taken to prevent the recurrence of this painful accident. His Highness also stressed the need to expedite the operation of the hospital for its important role in health services in the region, and stressed that it is also necessary to provide the necessary clinical capacity in this dear region of our country and raise the level of health services in it.
His Highness, the Emir of Jizan, stressed the need to strengthen emergency and disaster response plans in the region, providing all requirements for equipment and training, and conducting virtual experiments, among others. His Highness stressed that the Emirate of Jazan will increase the activation of the emergency center located in it, and called on all concerned government agencies in the region to provide the highest levels of coordination with the center. He stressed the need for all government agencies in the region, led by the Ministry of Health, to evaluate the level of safety in their facilities and to develop plans to remedy any deficiency or defect that may be in them.
In turn, His Excellency the Minister of Health indicated that the Ministry will do its utmost to ensure the provision of appropriate health services for the Jazan region, and that it has deliberately conducted one of the consulting offices to conduct tests to ensure the safety of the facility and to prepare the required technical specifications within 8 weeks, in order to restore and rehabilitate the hospital, including That is the fire alarm network and fire extinguishing, and all other safety requirements, to start these works as soon as possible. A director of safety and security management will also be appointed in the region. The minister also confirmed that he had made a field visit with the project leaders in the ministry to inspect the hospital projects in Jazan, which have a capacity of 1050 beds, and include the Specialized Hospital, the Women's and Maternity Hospital, Al-Darb Hospital and Al-Ardah Hospital, and a plan has been developed to accelerate the completion of these projects and overcome all difficulties to be completed in The fastest time and the highest safety and quality standards.
His Excellency the Minister of Health has confirmed that safety in health facilities comes at the forefront of the Ministry's priorities, and that three well-known international houses of expertise have been identified that will conduct an accurate and complete review of all government health facilities in the Kingdom to ensure their engineering and system integrity. The priority will be for the Jazan region, and the survey will be completed within 6 months, and accordingly the corrective plan is implemented. Security and safety contracts will also be separated from maintenance contracts for all facilities, which will help advance this aspect.
His Excellency the Minister of Health indicated that the Ministry is determined to proceed with its training program, which began several months ago, to train all workers in the Ministry's facilities in evacuation plans and dealing with internal disasters. In the interest of the Ministry to provide the best international services and experiences in terms of responding to emergencies and disasters, it has attracted highly qualified national cadres specialized in facing emergencies and disasters. Accordingly, disaster plans and the response and rescue mechanism will be reviewed and trained on that. The focus will be in particular on the Jizan region and the border areas. A team specialized in training medical and support staff will begin training on firefighting, evacuation, hazardous materials, security and electrical safety in Jizan next week, God willing.
The Emir of Jazan region, in the presence of His Excellency the Minister of Health, honored the family of the late Ibrahim Al-Qallib, under the direction of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, may God preserve him, by granting his family a medal and a million riyals, who sacrificed his life in order to save the patients in the hospital during the fire and was the reason for the survival of ten of them.
Six workers in the Ministry of Health were honored for their spirit of sacrifice during the accident, as they also played a key role in evacuating patients, including those who were in the incubators, maternity, and intensive care departments with all dedication and sacrifice, and they are Amira Ismail Ismail, Abu Al-Qasim Muhammad Nouhi, Hassan Ali Al-Amir, Nawal Ali Hashem, Maha Hussein Hakami, Nujud Ibrahim Hammoud.
Amir Jazan honors the family of the late Ibrahim Al-Qalli