The Deputy Minister of Health for Laboratories and Blood Banks, Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Omar, has inaugurated the day before yesterday the 2nd training course and workshop under the title "Recent Trends in Approaching Poisoning Cases". The 3-day event was organized by the Poison Control Centers and Forensic Chemistry General Department, in cooperation with King Saud Medical City (KSMC) at its headquarter in Riyadh.
Dr. Al-Omar highlighted that the number of tests performed at Poison Control and Forensic Chemistry Centers in 1435 reached 2,361,780.
He added that the Poison Control Centers and Forensic Chemistry General Department has launched many important therapeutic services, including a 24-hour telephone service connected to the MOH Emergency Call Center (937) and the Center's toll-free number 8004428800 to answer callers' inquires and give them advices about poisoning cases. This service is controlled by clinical toxicology specialists, such as doctors and pharmacists, at Poison Control Centers and Forensic Chemistry General Department and its centers throughout the Kingdom.
During his speech at the opening ceremony of the second training course and workshop, Al-Omar said: “This scientific forum, held for the second time by the MOH’s General Agency for Laboratories and Blood Banks, comes out of our belief in the importance of this field, keeping up-to-date with its developments and how to deal with emergency situations, by means of paying more concern to the human element, specially doctors and specialists. In this regard there is an urgent need to develop and train all health practitioners of different specialties at all health sectors, as well as working for raising the readiness of emergency doctors and ambulatory services for dealing with poisoning cases. Such matter will reduce complications and deaths due to poisoning, Allah Willing.”
He went on saying: “With regard to the training field, the MOH has embarked on training the university students in Clinical Toxicology Program, the first training program of its kind in the Kingdom, with a view to enhancing the concept of partnership between educational and service sectors. The 2nd batch of female students at the faculty of pharmacy, holding bachelor or master degree at Princess Noura University, has been trained on this Program, while another group of male and female students from some governmental and private universities are being trained. The training program includes lectures in toxicology, as well as practical training using a simulation device.”
Within the same vein, Al-Omar highlighted that the Poison Control Centers General Department seeks to implement future plans, in line with the strategy of the General Agency for Laboratories and Blood Banks, by means of establishing the National Center for Drug and Poison Information, expanding the analytic services to encompass blood doping in sports and environmental and occupational toxins. He added that the future plans include establishing a number of poison control centers in some regions and provinces, arranging and adopting the accreditation of the Saudi Board in the field of poisons, as well as establishing virtual laboratories of the remote-controlled drug calibration for specialized medical consultations.
For his part, the Executive Director of Health Services in KSMC, Dr Abdulaziz Al-Mosabahi, has pointed out that KSMC is a pioneering in this area, and the kind attendance of Dr. Al-Omar to this event was a great honor. “It is also a new applied course of its kind, which I hope to achieve a significant and tangible success, Allah Willing,” Al-Mosabahi said. He added that the training course aims at enabling the trainees to get the practical skills of primary dealing with poisoning cases, acquainted with the various methods of accurate diagnosis of poisoning cases, the necessary effective treatment skills for the poisoning cases, and the ability to identify the optimal methods of getting rid of toxins in the body, as well as keeping up-to-date with the latest in the poisoning treatment domain.
