The director general of Jazan Health Affairs, Dr. Ayed Al-Shahrani, confirmed that the 19 cases of cholera in Bani Malek Hospital in Jazan are border crossers who were arrested by the Border Guards.
He said that the decision to isolate the hospital is temporary, and he denied rumors about moving medical equipment from Bani Malek to other hospitals.
Al-Shahrani said: “Efforts are being exerted to find an alternative solution to lift the quarantine of the hospital within a three-week period.” Nineteen persons were diagnosed with cholera, six of whom recovered, he added.
Addayer Gov. Bin Malek Al-Shamrani held a meeting in the presence of Jazan Health Affairs officials, the leadership of Addayer governorate and other officials. They discussed the reasons behind the outbreak of cholera among border crossers who were arrested by the Border Guards and put in Bani Malek hospital, which closed its doors, sent its patients to nearby hospitals and turned a local health care clinic into an emergency center.
Saudi officials and sheikhs said they are ready to cooperate with the relevant authorities to eliminate cholera and restated the necessity of reopening the hospital and lifting the quarantine, as it used to serve 100,000 citizens in the region.