My World: Building a hospital...

[fahim mohammed]

Not just any hospital. Let me tell you.

I am housebound temporarily. I have discovered macro photography..the easy ones to begin with.

But my son came over yesterday and insisted I leave the house and see the outside world. No, I said.

Yes, he said. Dad, you are not a patient; don't act like one. So, in the car we went.

Where are we going?, I asked. Let me show you something, said my son. An extension of the hospital he
works in.

Extension!! An understatement. Kilometers upon kilometers of an extension. Cranes, heavy construction equipment, housing complex, buildings and buildings rising in the desert. An impressive sight indeed.

What is it?, I asked.
The most advanced child care facility in the world. Exclusively pediatrics...designed and managed by a Saudi and American team. The American team from one of the best medical...no the best medical facility according to all rankings I have looked at, in the USA.

Initially a 2000 bed facility. The equipment..cutting edge. Only a few hospitals in the US could afford it.
Doctors and medical staff already under training in the States and here.

Dad, our job is to provide the best in medical care for our countrymen and those that cannot afford such treatment in their home countries abroad.

But a hospital needs access. Quick, multiple access if one needs to take a critically ill child to a special child
health facility.

A medical city needs infrastructure. Done. Billions upon billions have been spent. And much more shall be spent.

Access to the medical facility was carved out from the rocks, across and under the city, from various directions. The decoration along the highways designed to merge with the landscape and be functional.

Here is an approach to one underpass...

How much did the citizen pay for all this and everything else that has been achieved? Nothing.
How much did my by-pass surgery and hospitilization cost me? Nothing. Not a penny. Tax? I don't pay tax.

Saudia. From the desert to the world.

 

[Murray Foote]

The wonders of living on top of an oil field....

 

[fahim mohammed]

The wonders of living on top of an oil field....

The US is the biggest producer of oil. Canada has the largest deposits of oil. Russia is one of the biggest producers and exporters of fossil fuels.

It is how one chooses to spend the resources that are available. It is instructive to be objective and study where a nation's wealth is spent. Where and how do the wealthiest nations on the planet spend their resources?

Might put an objective perspective on what each nation provides for its citizens.

p.s it is also instructive to see what proportion ( as a percentage of their per capita income ) do countries
provide to others, less fortunate than themselves. Some provide loans with an interest component. That is not aid, but a banking service. Check out those countries that give millions without interest or outright as a human duty.

 

[Murray Foote]

According to Wikipedia, Russia, Saudi Arabia and USA are top producers of oil in that order and all with similar output. Russia has 143 million population, USA has 316 million and Saudi Arabia has 29 million. I would also think that extraction costs are much lower for Saudi Arabia which also has premium quality light crude oil so Saudi Arabia will have far greater income per capita from oil. I presume the income from oil is essentially state-owned so Saudi Arabia will have an unusual capacity to spend on such projects.

Your points about how nations spend money are well taken, though.

 

[Murray Foote]

I couldn't help noticing that the sign says "Obey the Speed Limit" in English but the speed signs are only in arabic numerals.

 

[fahim mohammed]

I couldn't help noticing that the sign says "Obey the Speed Limit" in English but the speed signs are only in arabic numerals.

The signs alternate. The one above the English sign is in Arabic. After a few seconds the signs are switched.

Btw, Canada's Tar Sands project is expensive to extract. But they are reserves no doubt..and big ones.

Saudia is the country that maintains stable crude oil prices, by varying its production. Imagine the impact reduced supplies would have had when the western economies were in a tail spin. Which one country came to the rescue by increasing production well above normal so that the economies would have a chance to recover. Of course downward spiraling economies would affect everyone, but the costs would be catastrophic in the western world, where the banks were in free fall.

Saying that oil extraction costs are cheaper here is like saying but Australia has mineral wealth and that is one of the foundations of its economic success. Or that the Swiss have the Alps ( along with others ) and that is why they have such a big tourist industry.

One works with what one has...generally. Unless one steals.

 

[Asher Kelman]

One works with what one has...generally. Unless one steals.

Fahim,

Stealing is an age old craft and so is disguise and deception. One of the greatest skills of man is to fool other folk and in doing so we can easily end up walking around in a bubble of self-delusion calling good bad and bad good. In fact, I'd say that human society is the compound action of each group and individuals "bubbles of delusion". Even sincere people are deluded too!

So when the IMF gives loans with interest or gifts tied to buying one's fighter planes or services, don't assume the folk are acting with evil intention. It's just a way of behavior that's all.

Asher

 

[fahim mohammed]

Fahim,

Stealing is an age old craft and so is disguise and deception. One of the greatest skills of man is to fool other folk and in doing so we can easily end up walking around in a bubble of self-delusion calling good bad and bad good. In fact, I'd say that human society is the compound action of each group and individuals "bubbles of delusion". Even sincere people are deluded too!

So when the IMF gives loans with interest or gifts tied to buying one's fighter planes or services, don't assume the folk are acting with evil intention. It's just a way of behavior that's all.

Asher

Asher.

At least do not give it a veneer of respectability and shove it down my throat as an example of human trait.

Those who steal are called thieves. Those who kill while stealing are called murderers.
It's a way of behavior, I shall never accept. Others seem to have no issues with such gentlemanly practices of deception and forceful confiscation. But then again, I never was a part of the great Renaissance that seemed to have propelled certain societies to such lofty ideals and heights of progress.

p.s. anyway this post was a mistake on my part. I shall never make this mistake again here at OPF. I shall be content to read about the architecture and the arts in your part of the world.

 

[Murray Foote]

p.s. anyway this post was a mistake on my part. I shall never make this mistake again here at OPF. I shall be content to read about the architecture and the arts in your part of the world.

I don't see why. Diversity of opinion is valuable and we don't necessarily always have to agree.

My personal understanding is that the IMF was corrupted at its foundation from Keynes's vision of an organisation acting in the interests of poor countries to one preserving the interests of the rich and that much of what it does is compromised.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Fahim,

I was only responding to your comments about stealing, loans with interest as "aid" and the facts that other countries not providing free health care for their people. Not justifying behavior or painting over it, just saying that man is not always generous, kind, honest and straightforward. Industrialization, conglomerates and armies tend to tilt away from human kindess that one finds in almost any village, Church or mosque or other such places, anywhere in the world.

I'll gladly remove my comments, so as not to derange your beautiful thread. However, they do relate to your initiating comments which were political criticisms, even if totally justifiable and correct. Not commenting would have been to ignore your words. But this is all off topic and we can discuss this one day when we meet!

The hospital is a marvel, no question about it. We're privileged to learn from it. So lets focus on the good!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

Not just any hospital. Let me tell you........


Extension!! An understatement. Kilometers upon kilometers of an extension. Cranes, heavy construction equipment, housing complex, buildings and buildings rising in the desert. An impressive sight indeed.

What is it?, I asked.
The most advanced child care facility in the world. Exclusively pediatrics...designed and managed by a Saudi and American team. The American team from one of the best medical...no the best medical facility according to all rankings I have looked at, in the USA.

Initially a 2000 bed facility. The equipment..cutting edge. Only a few hospitals in the US could afford it.
Doctors and medical staff already under training in the States and here.

Dad, our job is to provide the best in medical care for our countrymen and those that cannot afford such treatment in their home countries abroad.

But a hospital needs access. Quick, multiple access if one needs to take a critically ill child to a special child
health facility.

A medical city needs infrastructure. Done. Billions upon billions have been spent. And much more shall be spent.

Access to the medical facility was carved out from the rocks, across and under the city, from various directions. The decoration along the highways designed to merge with the landscape and be functional.

Here is an approach to one underpass...

Fabulous approach to medicine. Reminds me of the MD Anderson Hospital in houston, Texas. Practically a city!

How much did the citizen pay for all this and everything else that has been achieved? Nothing.
How much did my by-pass surgery and hospitilization cost me? Nothing. Not a penny. Tax? I don't pay tax.

Saudia. From the desert to the world.

You're fortunate to have such new and advanced hospitals! I believe in universal health care too.

Asher