Under the Auspices of His Excellency the Minister of Health, and Chairman of the Council of Health Services, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, the 59th meeting of the Council of Healthe Services was held on Sunday, February 13th 2012, at the Council's headquarters in Riyadh. During the meeting, the Council made significant resolutions regarding a number of issues formerly discussed and analyzed by relevant committees along with the Council's Preparatory Committee.
For his part, His Excellency the Secretary General of Council, Dr. Yaqoub bin Yusuf Al-Mazrou, pointed out that the Council discussed a number of the topics on the agenda of the meeting; including King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Arabic Health Encyclopedia, which is expected to be a substantial quantum leap in the provision of correct and accurate health information for both the public and health workers. Besides, the Council has approved forming a committee for combating non-communicable diseases and enhancing general health in the Kingdom. This committee will be under the chairmanship of His Excellency the Minister of Health, and will include in its membership the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Economy, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Culture and Information, the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.
“The Health Services Council has also approved the establishment of a national center for hereditary heart diseases,” said Dr. Al-Mazrou. “This project will be carried out under the supervision of the National Center for Medical Research, in cooperation with one of the world's leading centers in this regard, namely Texas Heart Institute in USA, with the aim to make use of the Institute's experience in the field of medical training, by way of granting scholarships for Saudi physicians and conducting research in this vital field.”
Dr. Al-Mazrou went on to say that, during the meeting, the Council has embraced the application of the National Immunization Schedule. This is one of the joint programs among the health sectors represented in the National Immunization Commission. The schedule is approved by the Ministry of Health before application in all governmental and private facilities. Besides, it is one of the programs aiming to eradicate polio, making best use of global campaigns launched by such prominent organizations as the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Moreover,” Dr. Al-Mazrou added, “the Council discussed the concept of organ donation after death, and the difficulty of obtaining the donated organs as well as the ways to increase such donations. It also had talks on the proposal of issuing J-1 visas for the Saudi physicians looking forward to working in US hospitals, under fellowship programs.”
He further expounded that the Council reviewed what has been accomplished in the Kingdom's Healthcare Strategy, and the outcomes of the workshop recently held by the Council with the World Bank in order to identify the priorities of health strategy programs.
As his statement drew to a close, His Excellency the Secretary General of the Council of Health Services, Dr. Yaqoub bin Yusuf Al-Mazrou, emphasized that the Council seeks to develop the Kingdom's health system and enhance its performance and cohesion, by way of developing and adopting the coordination and integration among all the relevant authorities.