 GENERAL
INFORMATION
The Al-Hada/Taif Hospital Project comprises four medical care
facilities:
Al-Hada hospital, the Taif Rehabilitation Center, and two primary
care outpatients clinics. These facilities are collectively referred
to as HHRC (Al Hada Hospital Rehabilitation Center) and are administered
by the Medical Services Department (MSD) of the Saudi Arabian Ministry
of Defense and Aviation (MODA).
Al Hada Hospital is a 400 bed acute care facility located in Al
Hada Valley, about 10 miles northwest of Taif. The Rehabilitation
Center is a 100 bed facility located in the city of Taif, about
a 120 minute drive from Al Hada Hospital. The two primary care clinics
are situated on opposite sides of the Taif Airbase (some 12/15 miles
northwest of Taif), close to the commercial airport. One is known
as the Residential Clinic and the other as the Airbase Clinic.
These hospitals and clinics serve members of the Royal Family
as well as uniformed military personnel, their dependents, other
entitled personnel. Each year, in the summer, the Royal Family and
the Government of Saudi Arabia move from Riyadh, the nation's capital,
to the cooler mountain climate of Taif. With Taif this serving as
the unofficial "Summer Capital" of Saudi Arabia, the new Al Hada
Hospital has developed special capabilities to provide medical services
for the Royal Family in addition to serving MODA's military and
other entitled personnel.
All four HHRC facilities opened in June 1980. Initial services
provided at the Al Hada Hospital include M/S, obstetrics, paediatrics,
ENT, orthopaedics, outpatient services, ICU/CCU, and Infant ICU.
These services have been expanded regularly in the past three years
and new departments have been added, including haemodialysis, a
burn centre, CT full body scanning, cardio angiography, and others.
Al Hada Hospital is programmed to specialize in reconstructive
surgery, burn treatment, plastic surgery, cornea transplantation
and advanced medical services for eye treatment. Referrals between
the hospital and rehabilitation centre provide patients with the
appropriate care and treatment for their recovery period and subsequent
return to normal activities.
LOCATION
Al Hada Valley lies on the Western more precipitous edge of the
Hijaz escarpment at an elevation of some 2,100 metres (nearly 7,000).
Taif is 16 kms (10 miles) down a southeastern slope of the range
and is about 6,000 feet in elevation. Newcomers, especially those
how have been living at sea level, generally experience some shortness
of breath, listlessness and headaches until their bodies adjust
to the higher altitude.
The mountains are rocky and semi-barren, although there are pockets
of fairly dense growth. Among the more common flowers and trees
found in this area are gladiolus, violets. Acacia, cypress and juniper.
Porcupine, baboons, goats and of course, camels are the area's prevalent
animals.
Taif if about 160 kms (100 miles) east and a little south of Jeddah
and 88 kms (55 miles) above Mecca. One section of the Jeddah-Taif
highway bypasses Mecca, which only Muslims may enter. Riyadh is
900 kms (560 miles) northeast of Taif. The drive from Jeddah to
Taif can take anything from 2 to 2 ½ or three hours. At the summit
you enter Al Hada Valley and thus see Al Hada Hospital before Taif
when you make the drive up the mountain from Jeddah.
The current year round population of Taif is estimated at 220,000,
a figure that may well double during the summer months, when Taif
serves as the Kingdom's capital and most popular resort for Saudis
seeking relief from the heat below.
Summer temperatures in the Taif area generally range from 17 or
18C (62-64F) to 31 or 32C (88-90F). Winters here are also mild with
temperatures ranging from 14C (57F) to around 25C (79F). There is
a clear, rarefied atmosphere and the humidity is normally quite
low in spite of some rainfall.
The map shows the relative locations of Al Hada Hospital, the
Rehabilitation Center, and the two Airbase clinics. It is a drive
of 15 to 20 minutes from Al Hada Hospital to the Rehabilitation
Center and another 10 to 15 minutes ride from Rehab to the centre
town. The Airbase clinics are nearly 20 miles northeast of Taif,
about half and hour's drive from either downtown or the Rehab Center
Taif is a mountain town, nestled within the canyons and gorges
of the rugged Hujaz range. It is a genuine mountain oasis with cool,
clean air, breathtaking landscape, grand sunrises and sunsets.
There are some nice, stately areas: tree-lined, paved streets
dividing magnificent walled in villa estates, smartly uniformed
guards at their gates. A number of truly handsome government buildings
enhance the city and in the centre of the town there is a great
new mosque, which has become one of the top architectural landmarks
in all Saudi Arabia.
You don't feel the internationalism here that predominates the
atmosphere of a Jeddah or the East meets West sensation that permeates
Dhahran or Al Khobar. Here you sense that you have truly entered
the inner Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the house of Saudi.
This stems partially from the fact that during the summer months,
Taif actually is the House of Saudi. King Fahd and his family, the
head of the government Ministries, most of whom are Princes (brothers,
half-brothers, first cousins), all spend the summer months on Taif's
cool mountains, high above the scorching dry heat of the desert
below or the torrid, muggy heat of the coastal towns.
CONTRACT AND BENEFIT INFORMATION
For Canadian tax you need to establish a "Non-Resident Status".
To qualify, generally, you should be leaving with the intention
of being away for two years during which you need to sever primary
ties with Canada. Please, contact Revenue Canada for further tax
information. There is a form (Determination of Residency Status
(Leaving Canada)) you may want to complete, to know your residency
status for Canadian tax purposes before you leave to Saudi Arabia.
Call 1-800-267-5177.
|
