His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah recently presided at the first meeting of the Executive Council of the Ministry of Health (MOH) of 1435h. It was held at the main meeting hall in the MOH office. He stressed on the importance of the institutional work and putting the MOH's motto: "patient first" into effect; in a quest of serving a patient and interest in gaining their satisfaction and having them obtain their full rights; foremost of which is the decent treatment. Shortly after he discussed the report of the Budget Committee, and he called on the budget committees and the executive councils in the regions to take the necessary procedures for each region respectively, and to speed submitting the regions' budget to the Ministry of Health (MOH) according to the set time.
Within the same vein, he stressed on swiftly finishing the health projects on schedule and adhering to the standards of the MOH's projects, putting the health building code up for public tender, the first Arab code for the health facilities. Right after that the Council brought up the report of the Inclusive Quality Committee which touched upon the Patients' Safety Program. The Council further affirmed the significance of developing more training plans for all the health professionals in terms of Patients' and Drug Quality and Safety Program, improving on the medical registers, appointing quality specialists in the health facilities, initiating the continuing education programs for all health professionals and linking them to the distinction allowance items.
Further, the Council touched upon the report of the Medical Supply and Equipment Committee, to the effect that new items were added in terms of radioactive isotopes and drugs in the gulf tender 35, early examination, and disability, as well as issuing the drug directory of the health centers. It also reviewed the report of the Patients' Relations and Rights Committee which coordinates with 937 emergency service and ambulance transportation program with regard to any obstacles facing patients in order to overcome them and to harness the MOH efforts with the aim of achieving a patient's satisfaction and gain their confidence. All the more, the Patient's Relationsand Rights General Department distributed more than half million patients' rights codes to hospitals and patients.
In the meantime, he highlighted the importance of keeping on gauging the extent of patients' satisfaction with regard to the health services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as in the near future, the performance of the health professionals in the hospitals and health centers is to be assessed by patients as part of the Patient's E-survey Program. Afterwards the Council broached the new executive regulation of the Self-employment Program which included many updates and amendments such as unifying holidays, salaries, work procedures, and quality.
It is worth mentioning that the Executive Council, since its creation, issued many decisions related to the administrative work. This aims at advancing the performance of all departments and divisions in the Ministry of Health (MOH), upgrading its services and productivity, strengthening its relations with patients, and paying attention to their notes and complaints. It is also meant for providing the optimal healthcare services, ensuring applying the inclusive quality measures, improving on the medical performance, strongly establishing the scientific, institutional, and collective work method, and achieving the principle of integrity and objectivity at work, in a way that copes with the fast-pacing and various variables the world witnesses, namely in the health field.
It is mentionable that the decisions of the Health Minister goes with the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, may Allah protect him, aiming at continuing the march of the inclusive development and renaissance. This in turn is in the best interest of serving citizens and upgrading the health services, in a manner that fulfills the aspirations of our rulers towards a remarkable quantum leap for the health services.