The Bahrain Health Ministry spent an average of BD121 ($321) per person to provide free treatment to patients at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) last year, it was revealed yesterday.

The figure was up from BD90 per person in 1997, said the ministry's training and planning assistant under-secretary Dr Fawzi Amin.

'The ministry provided free health care with a total budget of BD144.5 million last year, approximately 7.8 per cent of the total government expenditure,' he told a Press conference at the ministry in Juffair on the release of the 2007 health statistics.

'The ministry's recurrent expenditure was BD126.8m, with an increase of 15.6pc from the 2006 budget, whereas in 1997, the ministry's budget was BD61.3m, representing 8.7pc of the total government expenditure.'

Dr Amin said the recurrent expenditure was BD55.8m, a rise of 13.8pc from the previous year.

He said more than half of the ministry budget was devoted to secondary health care while only 25.1pc was devoted to primary and preventive health care.

'The average cost per visit for primary health care clinics was BD5.500 last year, with an increase of 111.5pc since 1997, which was BD2.600,' said Dr Amin.

'Similarly, the cost of the services per person in the secondary health outpatients' clinics increased nearly by 103.5pc, compared to 10 years ago.

He said there was a decrease in the average cost of the deliveries by 19.8pc.

'It was BD599 in 1997 compared to BD480.8 last year.'

Dr Amin said for the first time, the statistics had taken the 'actual' population figures of 1,039,297 in Bahrain, as opposed to the projected figures, which had been taken in previous reports.

'Until 2006, we took the projected reports to form the basis of the survey, but thanks to the Central Informatics Organisation, we have now taken the actual figures.'

He said during the year, 55,046 patients were admitted to SMC, while 518,287 were treated in the outpatient department.

'A total of 3,265,356 visits also took place at the various health centres and other primary care facilities,' said Dr Amin.

He said that there were 19.7 beds per 10,000 population in Bahrain.

'There were also 42 nurses per every 10,000 patients and 21 physicians available for the same number,' said Dr Amin.

He said cardio-vascular diseases continued to be the leading cause of death in Bahrain, with 43pc dying from the condition.-TradeArabia News Service