Under the auspices of His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Rabeeah, the Assistant Deputy Minister for Supportive Medical Services, Dr. Muneera al-Esseimi, inaugurated the Saudi International Conference of Excellence in Patient Care (SICEPC 2013), on Sunday (26/5/1434H) in Riyadh. The conference, organized by the Ministry of Health (MOH), is an international forum to be attended by over twenty national and international speakers, as well as more than 1000 beneficiaries of health care providers in the region.
The inauguration ceremony was started with an address by the Director General of Nursing Affairs, Ms. Elham Sendi, in which she tackled the history of nursing in KSA. “Since its founding in 1423H,” she said, “the Nursing Affairs General Department has been seeking an independent and excellent place in the health system, for the purpose of ensuring high-quality nursing care, be means of which it can maintain health and prevention of diseases.”
“Statistics show that about 60% of nurses working across the Kingdom are Saudis, out of whom 41% are males, and 59% are females. During the three-day conference 20 worksheets will be presented, following which carefully chosen workshops on excellence in patient care will be held,” al-Esseimi added.
In her word before the conference, Ms. al-Esseimi went on to say, “The health sector stands out as one of the pivotal sectors meant to care for citizens and promote their health. Thanks to Allah, in the first place, and to the unstinting support provided by the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, which has been increasing over years, the Kingdom has managed to accomplish all such magnificent achievements. Nursing is a health mission offered for humanity. And all those involved in this profession should be proud of it.”
It followed that she touched upon the history of nursing in the Kingdom, and the Gulf states, which showed that the start was so simple, and present is so glamorous.
Afterwards, Ms. al-Esseimi dispatched messages for the patient and the nation, to which we owe much. Her message to the Ministry of Health prompted towards providing all that's in favor of the citizen, and enhancing the MOH slogan: “Patient First”. She recommended nurses of both genders to do their best, for they are the base upon which all the services provided by MOH depend, and they are the core of changing the conception of health work. In her message to the Nursing Department, she reiterated the fact that they shoulder a great responsibility, which requires them to listen to their work-mates, and make every effort to remove the impediments facing them, thus giving rise to this noble profession.
“We have to make the best out of this conference, which boasts its distinguished constellation of speakers, so as to come up with recommendations fitting the high-profile conference and its fame. A target to seek in this conference is to reach at the best mechanisms for developing the profession,” said Ms. al-Esseimi, and then thanked all who took part in the preparation for the conference.
Subsequently, a documentary on nursing and the MOH achievements, as represented by the Nursing General Department, was screened. And then this year's excellent nurses have been honored, after which the medical exhibit accompanying the conference was opened.
It is worth mentioning that this vital conference aims to enhancing the strategic partnership between the Ministry of Health and other health sectors (both public and private). It targets, also, the attainment of the highest possible nursing practice, and introducing nurses with their crucial role in the accreditation and recognition of hospitals as magnet hospitals, capable of attracting nursing cadres.