The Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Rabeeah raised his sincere gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz for opening the opportunity for MOH leaders to meet him in Makkah Al-Mukarramah in Ramadan.
He said the meeting initiated a strong boost for health work. "We hoped the High Court would approve the health care project to be named after him, but instead he directed it is better named as the National Project for Comprehensive Health Care, referring to the fact that the project is mainly concerned with the Saudi Citizen", he said.
Speaking during a meeting of the general directorates of health affairs under his chairmanship, he conveyed to the attendees the complements of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his directives for delivering the best health services to the citizens.
He referred to the excellence certificate offered by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Ministry of Health, quoting the King as saying "You have emerged with your works. Every person has a mistake, but you are now more understanding and more experienced".
He said the meeting has been highly transparent and clear. "We informed the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques of the obstacles and difficulties hindering our efforts for promoting the works of this project, which is hoped to be a historical initiative towards elevating the level of health care services", he said.
The meeting also reviewed the overall developments concerning the swine flu epidemic and the efforts exerted for controlling its spreading. "The date for opening the schools has been fixed by the High Court for making sure that the education sector is ready for dealing with the epidemic", he said. "The High Court directed the ministers concerned with child health to provide their utmost care to protect child health and safety".
Al-Rabeeah valued the success of the precautionary plan set by MOH for controlling the spreading of swine flu during Omrah season. "Field reports didn't refer to any death case among Omrah operators in Makkah and Al-Madeenah during the season", he said.
He urged all directors of health affairs in the different provinces to coordinate with their respective directorates of education for taking the necessary precautionary measures for confronting the disease. "Each health center must be linked to a set of surrounding schools for facilitating easy communication and decision taking", he said.