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(MENAFN - Arab News) Saudis and expatriates have welcomed the Ministry of Health's decision to close down a private hospital in Dammam for 15 days for having committed professional mistakes.

The ministry did not identify the hospital. However, Arab News readers identified it as Tadawi General Hospital in the city's Mazroueia district. A visit to the hospital on Wednesday by the newspaper's photographer confirmed this. A Ministry of Health note specifying the 15-day closure was pasted on all three entrances to the hospital.

According to sources in the Health Ministry, the decision to close the hospital temporarily stemmed from the ministry's keenness to ensure the safety and welfare of Saudis and expatriates.

The closure is aimed at encouraging the hospital to take remedial measures, the sources said, adding the decision was based solely on maintaining high health care standards in the Kingdom.

The ministry's decision was welcomed by members of the Saudi and expatriate community.

Journalist Hasan Al-Harthy described it as a step in the right direction. "We need such bold actions because some private hospitals have been making money at the expense of our health," he told Arab News. "They are playing with our lives and they need to be stopped."

He said some hospitals have become purely commercial ventures and money-spinners. "They look at everything in terms of profit, and in such a situation the health of the citizens and expatriates is always the casualty," he said. "Whoever commits such a mistake should be penalized."

"This reinforces our trust in the Ministry of Health," said Indian expatriate Shuja Mohammed Sheriff. "This will act as a deterrent and will compel all hospitals to meet mandatory safety regulations."

Sheriff said he was reassured by the regular checks conducted by the Health Ministry. "There has to be some of kind of accountability, and what the ministry is essentially underlining is that patient safety should come first," he said. "Private hospitals should not be allowed to cut corners and I, therefore, welcome and applaud the Health Ministry."

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Saudis, expats welcome decision to close erring hospital

(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) The Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday decided to grant voting rights to overseas Pakistanis. The decision will allow 3.7 million Pakistanis living abroad to vote.

ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday decided to grant voting rights to overseas Pakistanis. The decision will allow 3.7 million Pakistanis living abroad to vote.

The debate on whether overseas Pakistanis should be allowed to participate in Pakistan's elections gained steam after Pakistan Tehrike Insaf chairman Imran Khan moved the Supreme Court requesting that Pakistanis living abroad should be permitted to vote.

At a meeting of the commission on Tuesday, which was chaired by ECP secretary Ishtiak Ahmed Khan, participants from various political parties decided that names of overseas Pakistanis will be registered in the electoral rolls.

A voting mechanism has yet to be decided, but the participants discussed various proposals, including the option of postal balloting and setting up polling booths at Pakistani embassies.

Sources said non-resident Pakistanis above 18 years of age would be tracked by the National Database and Registration Authority and they would be sent ballot papers by post. The next general elections are scheduled for 2013.

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UAE- Pakistani expats get voting rights

THE cost of living for expats is still higher in Shanghai than it is in New York, according to the latest survey.

Shanghai rose six places to rank 42nd in a global list while New York climbed two places from 49th spot in June to 47th, according to a cost of living survey by the UK-based Economist Intelligence Unit using data from December last year.

Los Angeles and Moscow tied with Shanghai while Beijing dropped three places to 59th. Hong Kong is 22nd.

The biannual survey, which aims to explore the true cost of an expat lifestyle in 130 major cities, compares more than 400 prices across 160 products and services.

The survey covers the cost of necessities such as food, drink and clothing, and optional spending such as on private schools, domestic help and recreation.

The survey found, for example, that a kilogram of white sliced bread was US$3.58 on average in Shanghai compared with US$3.36 in 2010, and the price of a liter of regular unleaded petrol was US$1.22 compared to US$0.98. Ten years ago, bread was US$2.05 and the petrol US$0.34.

Despite price increases over the past decade, Shanghai has seen its relative cost of living fall, slipping from 16th spot 10 years ago as the US dollar, which China's currency yuan used to be pegged to, started to weaken from its 2001 high. Beijing once ranked 11th and Hong Kong third.

Following the strengthening of the Swiss franc last year, Zurich is now the most expensive city for expats, pushing Tokyo into second place. Another Swiss city, Geneva, has moved up six places to end joint third with Japan's Osaka.

Though in the midst of a sovereign debt crisis, Europe accounts for half of the top 10 most expensive cities, with Oslo fifth, Paris sixth, and Frankfurt 10th.

"Local inflation in mature markets always has far less influence on the relative cost of living than the currency movements of the countries in question," the report said.

The appreciation of the Australian dollar, whose parity with the US dollar dropped to only half the value 10 years ago, also explains the recent presence of Sydney and Melbourne among the 10 most expensive locations. They came seventh and eighth.

The three least expensive cities for expats were Karachi, Mumbai and Tehran.

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Eastday-Shanghai still more expensive than New York

Wellington and Auckland have become among the most expensive cities in the world for expatriates to live in.

But local residents may have gained some benefit from the key factor behind the rise in costs to new arrivals - the strengthening of the New Zealand dollar.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) latest Worldwide Cost of Living survey, Auckland is now the 15th costliest city in the world, up from 24th previously, while Wellington rose 16 places to be equal 17th with London.

The index measures the cost of an expatriate lifestyle in over 130 cities using a weighted average of the prices of 160 products and services.

EIU editor Jon Copestake said the cost of living in Auckland and Wellington had doubled for expatriates in the past decade.

New Zealanders would not have noticed that sort of rise, although they might have noticed living costs "creeping up", Copestake told Radio NZ.

Supply side inflation pushing up the cost of living in the past few years had fed into many economies.

"But the main issue here is currency movement. It seems that the New Zealand dollar and the Australian dollar have become haven currencies. They've had a lot of investment in them over the last few years. And this is what's really driven the rise up the rankings for New Zealand and Australian cities," Copestake said.

"People coming into New Zealand will see the relative cost of living much higher. I think in fact, in a sense, there's a benefit to Wellington and Auckland people in that they might actually see the cost of imports going down because things will become relatively cheaper in other currencies, and they will actually find maybe the cost of travelling abroad slightly cheaper."

While there were advantages in that respect, the two cities were becoming uncompetitive in price terms.

But Copestake also identified another reason for residents of Auckland and Wellington to relax, pointing to an apparent growing correlation between being an expensive city internationally, and being ranked among the most liveable cities.

"So in a sense, the fact that there's a high cost of living in Wellington and Auckland is probably also partly reflected in the high liveability you can enjoy in those cities."

The EIU living costs survey ranked Sydney in seventh place, Melbourne eighth, Perth 12th, Brisbane 13th and Adelaide 17th.

For the first time in at least two decades, Zurich topped the rankings, moving up four places compared to last year to overtake Tokyo which remained in 2nd place.

Geneva, the other Swiss city surveyed, moved up six places into joint third alongside Osaka.

Both Japan and Switzerland had seen strong currency movements in the past few years which had made them relatively more expensive, the EIU said.

As well as currency movement, structural factors maintained the high cost of living in many cities.

Despite Eurozone weaknesses affecting markets such as Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy, the evidence was that German and French cities were still relatively expensive with Paris and Frankfurt holding firm in the 10 most expensive - at sixth and tenth, respectively.

Oslo, which was considered the world's most expensive city a few years ago remained towards the top of the ranking - in fifth - although Singapore's presence, at ninth, in the top 10 highlighted a shift away from Western Europe towards Asian hubs.

Copyright © 2012, Television New Zealand Limited. Breaking and Daily News, Sport & Weather | TV ONE, TV2 | Ondemand

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NZ cities among most expensive for expats

13-02-2012 23:23 Child Protection and Estate Planning Webinar for Aussie Expats - Todd Pallett

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Child Protection and Estate Planning Webinar for Aussie Expats - with Todd Pallett - Video