The Assistant Undersecretary of Hospitals Affairs, Dr. Aqeel bin Jama'an Al-Ghamdi stated that the total number of patients who undergo dialysis in 20 regions and provinces at the Ministry of Health’s centers is 9792: 493 patients undergo peritoneal dialysis, as well as 372 Hepatitis B patients, 1797 Hepatitis C patients, in addition to 48 children undergoing hemodialysis. He pointed out that MOH hired international foreign companies that will provide high-quality, advanced hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis services for adults and children who are treated in MOH dialysis centers and units as a compensatory treatment for chronic renal failure patients. The service provider company will establish or rent dialysis centres across the Kingdom’s regions and provinces, and provide all that is necessary for furniture and equipment, as well as the medical cadre according to the highest quality standards; in order to offer the best affective treatment methods. That will be carried out on three stages for a period of five years.
Dr. Al-Ghamdi revealed the advantages of hiring such companies, such as accommodating the increasing numbers of patients, offering faster and more qualitative therapeutic possibilities, setting and applying elevated work policies and mechanisms. Add to that keeping up with the technological advancements in medical apparatus and equipment, improving performance quality as well as training national cadres. Moreover, among the advantages are providing medical and nursing cadres, experienced, qualified, supportive services and cadres, offering diagnostic, therapeutic services through such centers (tests, vascular links, dialysis, and medication). That is to be added to promoting centers’ economic efficiency level and increasing competitiveness, as well as raising the economic growth with the contribution and investment of the private sector by attracting capital.
Furthermore, Dr. Al-Ghamdi pointed out that there are precious advantages of the Ministry’s project with the international dialysis services provider companies, which include offering dialysis services to all patients all over the Kingdom’s regions and provinces, providing the latest hemodialysis technologies; insuring the improvement of therapeutic services that will reflect on the physical, mental and social wellbeing of patients. In addition, the advantages include providing and installing vascular links for chronic and recent cases, and proficiently following up the treatment, as well as providing dialysis during patients’ holidays inside the Kingdom or abroad in Europe or the United States in the provider company branches after coordinating with the central committee of the Ministry with the provider company.
Moreover, the advantages include providing the latest medications; due to the fast growth of kidney failure technologies, covering patients’ increasing demand on peritoneal dialysis. It is characterized by such advantages as easy mobility to work and study as well as qualitative therapeutic care with the possibility of distributing dialysis centers to easily serve the interest of patients in need. This project allows recruiting 30% of Saudi cadres in 167 dialysis centers by providing new job opportunities. The project will establish 74 centers operated by the service provider companies allowing foreign investments that are worth billions; which will reflect positively on the economic growth. Moreover, the project will allow for more revenue sources that will be spent on the maintenance, renovation and replacement of dialysis centers and investing them in other services for citizens, as well as providing specialized medical cadres to all centers across the Kingdom and train national cadres and competencies on the latest technologies.