King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) have announced today the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a joint cooperation that supports researches related to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). This comes as a part of national efforts coordination, exchange of experiences, and taking advantage of the participants' potentials and the capabilities.
His Highness Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad Al Saud, President of KACST, explained that the city has agreed on a common framework with MOH and MOA to support the two ministries' efforts in research and technology transfer in order to control the spread of MERS-CoV in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
"Through this agreement, KACST will contribute in providing necessary technical and financial support of researches, as well as harnessing its infrastructure of the specialized laboratories and highly advanced digital structure to create a national database for MERS-CoV, and then expand it to include all communicable diseases in the Kingdom," added the Prince.
H.E. Eng. Khalid al-Falih, Minister of Health, has emphasized the importance of the role that scientific research play in building national capacity and enabling them to confront epidemic diseases. Therefore, the Ministry needs to be open to all researchers and research centers in order to integrate efforts in combating and controlling epidemic diseases, including Corona, based on scientific and technical grounds to ensure health and welfare for citizens and residents.
For his part, H.E. Abdulrahman Bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli, Minister of Agriculture, indicated that the Ministry welcomes all kinds of scientific cooperation that aims to develop the capabilities of its employees. This will help confront the challenges facing society posed by the conventional and emerging common diseases in both humans and animals, most recently MERS-CoV, relying on one health strategy. "We cooperate with the scientific research entities related to livestock, and provide them with the necessary support, in order to serve citizens and residents in this blessed country, and to maintain domestic livestock," said the Minister. This comes as a continuation of MOA previous efforts in addressing Corona disease.
This cooperation comes within the framework of the important role that KACST plays in supporting and encouraging the scientific research on applied purposes, in addition to coordination of the related activities of institutions and scientific research centers, putting into account the development requirements in the Kingdom.
MOH carries out the task of healthcare provision at all levels, public health improvement, diseases prevention, crafting governing laws and regulations for both public and private health sectors, and monitoring performance, with emphasis on the research aspect, academic training, and health investment fields.
On the other hand, MOA is responsible for developing livestock in the Kingdom, and preventing the transmission of common diseases among animals and humans, which infect humans through direct contact with affected animals. The Ministry is also tasked with ensuring the safety of local animal products for human consumption, in line with Saudi standards. In addition, MOA issues the related regulations, monitors their application, supports related scientific researches, and boosts the technical and administrative capabilities to enhance scientific research.