Under the Chairmanship of the Health Minister, Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, the Board of Directors of the Saudi National Institute of Health held its first meeting yesterday. The meeting reviewed the institute’s national strategy and plans to support the research and development programs to combat pandemics in the Kingdom.
Addressing the meeting, Al-Rabiah said that the institute main work is to address the public health priorities so they become research priorities, in parallel with developing the infrastructure of health researching and innovation in order to boost researching outcomes and develop the health sector; thus contributing to diversification of economy.
The establishment of the institute comes as part of the transformation projects in the health sector led by MOH’s Vision Realization Office and in coordination with the Saudi Health Council, and with the effective participation of medical research centers and researchers from the ministries of Defense, Interior, National Guard and Health, as well as King Faisal Specialist Hospital, university hospitals and all relevant sectors. The institute will help to achieve the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030.
The institute launches concentrated efforts to develop a sustainable and unified research environment for the health sector, with the participation of the healthcare providers, as well as a number of relevant government agencies, including: Education Ministry, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Center for Disease Prevention and Control (Weqaya), Saudi Food and Drug Authority and others.
The institute aims to develop a unified and reference strategy for the health research to make the Kingdom a pioneer in research and development and to boost the public health and the healthcare services for the beneficiaries in the Saudi society. In addition, it aims to address the challenges that hinder the development of effective and high-quality researches by means of bridging the gaps, enhancing coordination and integration and improving the impact of the research and innovation system in the health sector. As a national health research financer, the institute will work to empower the health and innovation system in the Kingdom through a national strategy and a funding framework that achieves expenditure efficiency and works for improving research funding system and utilizing the available infrastructure. As well, the institute seeks to encourage the health sector to invest in research and development in the health sector