A number of the participants in the Saudi International Conference for Excellence in Patient Care (SIPEC 2013) have expressed their pleasure with the conference and worksheets discussed within its framework, as well as the accompanying events, all of which are for the advantage of the nursing profession.
The Chief of the UAE Nursing Commission, Ms. Asmaa Mohamed bin Kalban, stated, “The International Conference for Excellence in Patient Care, organized by the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH), is reckoned a step of pivotal importance for nursing, in an endeavor to give rise to the profession.”
Ms. Kalban pointed out that the conference covered a number of topics that have to do with the development of nursing services at GCC states, especially excellence in patient care and service, and providing high-quality services. “As a matter of fact,” she said, “the Saudi nursing is known for its impressing expertise in the domain of nursing development, seeking to reach at the world level. It's very experienced in that area.”
Ms. Asmaa added that the Assistant Deputy Minister of Health for Supportive Medical Services, Dr. Munirah Al-Esseimi, does credit to us all, especially incurring the responsibility of the Assistant Deputy. This highlights the interest of the leadership in the women element, especially when qualified to take the helm in such an honorable profession which is interested in the patient in the first place.
For her part, the Assistant Chief of Nursing Division for Nursing Services Planning and Training at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health, Ms. Khaledah Youssef Al-Maraghi, said that holding conferences pose for all of us in the GCC states a great opportunity for exchanging experiences and benefiting from the Saudi lecturers and those from the Unites States of America and Europe in terms of the expertise they provide in nursing profession and its advancement. She went on adding that she is to share the benefit she gained at this conference in her country with her colleagues in nursing profession; in order for the benefit to spread with aim of providing the best nursing care and service for a patient.
Ms. Selimah Hemdan Al-Balushi, the Nursing Supervisor at the Omani Ministry of Health, said that the conference signifies the pros of nursing profession in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as they have scientific and practical expertise of world weight. She went on adding that the speech of the Assistant Under-secretary for Supportive Medical Services, Dr. Munirah Al-Osaimi, about the stress of the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah Abdul-Aziz Al Rabeeah on the theme "Patient Comes First" is a message for all the health workers of the patient's importance and the services provided for them in the health care. It also highlights the approach of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in terms of the necessity of lending special care to the patient; followed by the employee and the other MOH's staff. She also lauded the development she tangibly felt in all the Saudi health services, from which the patient profits. She finally expressed her wish that the profession standards would be unified in all the GCC states; in order for the benefit to be even greater.
It is worth mentioning that the first Saudi International Conference of Excellence in Patient Care 2013 (SIEPC) which was organized by the Nursing Affairs General Department was held in Riyadh under the auspices of his Excellency Dr. Abdullah Abdul-Aziz Al Rabeeah from April 7th, 2013 to April 9th, 2013. More than twenty international and local lecturers participated in the conference and it was attended by more than thousand beneficiaries of health care providers in the region. The conference aimed at meeting and increasing the strategic partnership among the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the other health sectors, both general and private ones. Also, the conference sought to achieve the best nursing practice and familiarize with their important role in the journey of accrediting and recognizing their hospitals as attractive for nursing cadres.
The events of the conference witnessed "Creating the Excellence Culture in the Nursing Work" workshop, the Skills and Ethics of Publishing Nursing Researches" workshop, "Joint Governance" workshop, and "Measuring the Nursing Workload in the Kingdom" symposium. The events also included displaying the projects of the National Program for Building the Saudi Nursing leading Skills, in addition to conducting a medical exhibit associated with them.