A hospital serves on average 66,500 patients. Healthcare centers serve approximately 12,400 patients, according to data made available from the Ministry of Health.
Al-Jouf region ranked highest in terms of the number of hospital beds available, with one bed for every 278 patients.
Riyadh and Makkah provinces were ranked 10th and 11th, with a ratio of 502 and 547 patients per bed. Jazan ranked last, with one bed per 637 patients, the report said.
Najran topped the provinces for the distribution of hospitals, with one hospital for every 37,700 inhabitants.
Riyadh and Makkah ranked 12th and 13th, with one hospital for every 78,800 patients in Riyadh and 81,500 patients in Makkah, the report said.
Al-Jouf came first in terms of nurse distribution, with one nurse for every 114 patients, while Riyadh registered a 1:231 ratio in the same category.
According to the study, one bed is allocated for every 465 patients in Saudi Arabia compared to 323 patients in the United States, a 44-percent difference.
The nurse-to-patient ratio in the Kingdom is double that of the United States. One nurse tends to an average of 203 patients in the former versus a 1:102 nurse-to-patient ratio in the latter.
Data also showed that the Northern Border province tops the list in terms of the doctor-to-patient ratio, with one doctor per 263 patients.
Jazan province has reported the least number of doctors per patient, with a 1:549 ratio.
Riyadh and Makkah rank ninth and tenth among the 13 provinces, with one doctor for every 432 patients in Riyadh and 449 patients in Makkah, the report said.
Arab News
4 October
