Prince Mishal Bin Abdullah, Emir of Najran, has said government officials found negligent in fulfilling their duties will be relieved of their posts immediately.

The Emir, who constantly monitors the performance of contractors and the progress of projects in the region, said he wouldn’t feel contented until all approved development projects were implemented in the region.

He also assured that those who fulfill their official duties “will be rewarded and those who don’t will be dealt with sternly.”

In an interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette, Prince Mishal said the region still needed many health, educational and civic projects. “We’re working day and night to specify the required projects, conduct necessary studies and send them to the leadership for approval,” he said.

Any project suggested by municipal committees and other governmental agencies will be discussed by the region’s council, Prince Mishal added. It is the duty of the emir to decide the type of projects needed in each region, he added.

One of Prince Mishal’s priorities is to meet the needs of citizens and improve the level of sanitary drainage, health and road services in the region. He also wants to build more hospitals and primary healthcare centers in the future and hire qualified medical staff to run them.

Speaking about recurrent reports of medical errors, Prince Mishal said all regions in the Kingdom and all countries around the globe suffer from this problem. This, however, does not mean that violators should get away with it. “Those who commit medical errors will be punished and we’ll work hard to reduce the number of medical errors, especially fatal errors.”

Prince Mishal has warned that any negligent employee will be dismissed and replaced with productive and creative people. Qualified staff members will not be marginalized and they will be given leading posts to contribute to reducing the number of medical errors, he added.

Asked about heath projects that started 10 years ago but have not been completed yet, Prince Mishal has said Badar Al-Janoub Hospital project has been completed and will go into operation soon. Similarly, Khabash Hospital is nearing completion while Najran General Hospital is being equipped with necessary medical facilities and will start providing services soon. In addition, more primary health care centers will be built in several neighborhoods, he said.

Prince Mishal said most projects implemented so far were studied well before the process of implementation started. As for the delayed projects, those in charge were held accountable. To avoid any future delays or mistakes during implementation, the Department of General Services in the governorate has been tasked with monitoring the progress of projects and paying weekly inspection visits to project sites. “The department’s inspectors are following up with these projects and they will report negligence and mistakes to me. I will take proper action against negligent employees and contractors,” the Emir said.

Prince Mishal pays surprise visits to project sites. In his last inspection visit, he noticed many mistakes and negligence on the part of some government officials and contractors. He relieved some officials of their posts and excluded contracting companies which proved to be negligent or to have inadequate capabilities to implement big projects. Some of the relieved officials are still under investigation over corruption charges, Prince Mishal said.

Every day, the Najran Emir receives citizens in his office and listens to their needs and grievances. Prince Mishal enjoys the special relationship with the people of Najran who feel very close to their Emir.

Regarding the agricultural development of the region, Prince Mishal said he had requested the Ministry of Agriculture to provide farmers with everything they need, including modern irrigation equipment, to take advantage of the region’s land that has been known for growing dates and other agricultural produce.

Prince Mishal said King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, gave directives that all farmers in the region should be given full support from the Emirate to help them increase their harvests.

Concerning the latest developments about the project of pumping water from the Empty Quarter to Najran region, Prince Mishal said a big part of the project had been completed. “Once this project has been finished, people of the region will greatly benefit from water coming from the Empty Quarter,” he said.

Answering a question about the role Najran’s women play in development, Prince Mishal said women in the region have proved that they are as successful in serving their country as women of other Saudi regions. “In Najran, there are intelligent women, including many successful businesswomen. We are ready to provide them with any help that will contribute to their success and creativity.”

Prince Mishal has recently issued an order to form committees with female members to monitor the performance of government departments run by women. The committees will look for negative aspects and work to deal with them and recommend ways to improve the performance.