The Deputy Minister of Health for Supply and Engineering Affairs, Dr. Salah al-Mazrou, has affirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is “self-sufficient in terms of locally manufactured medicines.” He pointed out that the Kingdom is no more relying on purchasing medicines from companies specialized in some drugs and pharmaceutical products. “By now,” he said, “we have got a sufficient drug plants to serve as one of the main pillars of the Kingdom's pharmaceutical safety. It should be mentioned, in this respect, that all out drug plants are accredited by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and the Ministry of health, except for one factory. Furthermore, we take pride in the fact that most of the drugs at pharmacies nowadays are 100% Saudi.”
During the press conference held at the MOH Headquarters to unleash the details of the Saudi Conference and Exhibition 2014, to be held on 19-21 May at the Riyadh International Conferences and Exhibitions Center, al-Mazrou revealed that the Kingdom has 13 drug plants, all of which are of distinguished ones, with worldwide reputation, given that they export their products abroad. The conference, according to al-Mazrou, will touch upon 12 medical axes. Participating in this conference are 40 internationally high-profile speakers, and 160 lecturers and heads of scientific sessions, in addition to 300 companies and 2.000 representatives. It is envisaged that the turnout of this year's conference will exceed that of the last year.
Dr. al-Mazrou went on to say, “The exhibition stands out as a new door for attracting foreign direct investment to the Kingdom's health sector, thus enabling the local market to benefit from the high experiences of foreign companies in improving the quality of the healthcare services offered to citizens. The government has made every effort in its quest for serving citizens. And this exhibition is specialized in medical devices, such as CT-scan devices, operation theaters, and laboratory devices, among many others.”
He further expounded that the conference is envisioned to promote partnership between the Ministry of Health and foreign countries in the areas of health services, by opening the door of opportunities for closer cooperation and exchange of experiences, as well as getting acquainted with the best and latest medical practices, products, and technologies, in addition to the state-of-the-art tendencies in the domain of health care. This is expected to developing the Saudi health sector in a manner that satisfies the sought-after aspirations.
Over and above, he mentioned that the exhibition will serve as an important forum for building bridges, reinforcing the strategic partnership between the public and private sectors, encouraging the transfer of knowledge and experiences with the most prominent regional and international medical entities. In doing so, the efforts meant to effectively address the emerging challenges will be prompted, and opportunities for developing the local healthcare sector will boost. This comes within the framework of the Ministry's unstinting support for this event.
There are two main reasons that add to the significance of this event, and its leading role at the local and regional levels: the strong governmental support for the healthcare sector, and the growing need for cooperation and benefitting from the international experiences and tendencies. More than 300 healthcare companies and medical services providers will take part in this event, encompassing high-profile regional and international companies, as well as the agents, contractors and distributors hailing from 35 countries.
The exhibition, according to al-Mazrou, is to be held on an area of 7.500 square meters. As part of the event, 10 conferences, accredited by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS), will be held to discuss the topics affecting health care at the local and regional levels, including nursing, successful management, hospitals and medical laboratories, bioengineering, biomedical engineering, cardiology, technical management of radiology centers, nuclear medicine, rehabilitative medicine, and future leaders of the Saudi health sector, in addition to a workshop on the prospects of radiology in the Kingdom.