The Royal Hospital has issued a statement denying rumors suggesting its refusal to accept patients infected with COVID-19.

‘With reference to the clip circulating on social media that the hospital refuses to accept patients infected with coronavirus despite the availability of beds, the hospital would like to explain some facts to the community,’ the statement said. 

It added that The Royal Hospital is the largest hospital in the sultanate, with a capacity of 1,200 beds. ‘There is currently a limited number of vacant and unused beds due to shortage of medical and nursing staff owing to a significant increase in the number of ICU patients. 

‘The numbers indicate that the hospital needs additional nurses to be able to operate all services well. Despite the shortage of hospital employees in the recent period and the steady expansion of services, the statistics indicate that the number of visitors increased by nearly 200,000 annually in recent years and the number of operations has increased from 8,000 to about 25,000 operations annually. The number of births increased from 6,000 to reach nearly 10,000 births annually, and the number of laboratory tests increased to more than 3mn per year.’ 

The hospital confirmed that it currently has 50 COVID-19 patients, and it can receive up to 70 such cases. It welcomed constructive criticism and urged people to take information from reliable sources.