RIYADH, Oct 28(Arab News): The Shoura Council discussed on Wednesday plans to form a unified body to operate and maintain service stations on highways across the Kingdom.

The council's committee on housing, water and public services, chaired by Mohammed Al-Quaihees, discussed in detail how a central body could oversee the maintenance and operation of service stations in the country.

The meeting was attended by officials from the ministries of transport and municipal and rural affairs and the Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities. “Our purpose is to offer good services to motorists and road users during their long travel by road,” Quaihees said, adding that facilities at service stations in various parts of the Kingdom need to be improved and require regular supervision to ensure a high quality of services.

Service stations along Kingdom’s highways are responsible for running and maintaining restaurants, rest rooms, supermarkets and mosques in their vicinity.

Domestic Umrah pilgrims who often travel by road from Riyadh to Makkah find it difficult to perform ablution at stopovers on the highway because of a lack of hygiene.

According to an Umrah pilgrim who traveled to Makkah by road recently, service stations along the Riyadh-Makkah highway are neglected and not properly maintained.  “Toilet facilities and maintenance of mosques are far from satisfactory,” he said.

The Shoura Council's health affairs committee headed by Abdullah Al-Drees also discussed ways of improving services and facilities at private health clinics. The meeting was attended by specialists from the Ministry of Health, King Fahd Medical City and charitable organizations in Riyadh.

Al-Drees said the discussions focused on patient safety, and maintaining tidiness and a healthy environment in and around private health institutions.