His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, has expressed his great appreciation and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, May Allâh protect them, for their generous support for health services, meant to provide best-quality health care for the Saudi people. This comes within the framework of the recent inauguration of a variety of health projects in a number of the Kingdom's regions.
It didn't escape Dr. Al-Rabeeah's notice to appreciate the generous support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, as manifested in the large funds allocated to health services, which reflect the Leadership's unremitting keen interest in the provision of health services and comprehensive healthcare for our citizens.
Dr. Al-Rabeeah added, “These projects should be seen as an embodiment of the unceasing and unending support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for health services. This has been right reflected in the evident and significant promotion of performance at health facilities. It is beyond doubt that this support was very effective in the provision of best-quality health services, fulfilling the Governors' aspirations on the one hand, and, on the other, meeting citizens' health requirements and gaining their contentment.”
“The Ministry of Health (MOH) has been always making every effort to promote and improve performance at health facilities,” Dr. Al-Rabeeah continued. “The Ministry is currently undergoing vigorous, comprehensive development, and a quantum leap in all health facilities, which are entirely harnessed for patients' service and safety. To that end, the Ministry has introduced and carried out a number of the programs meant to put into effect the MOH slogan: Patient First.”
He went on to explain that these projects come within the framework of the National Comprehensive and Integrated Health Care, which is reckoned the major pillar upon which the entire strategic plan leans. It ensures an integrated health system for each of the Kingdom's regions, in accordance with the national and international standards. He said, “These projects comprise a significant component of this ambitious project approved by the guardian of our national prosperity, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. It is for this reason that the Ministry of Health has taken this project as both its starting point and ultimate objective, guided by the values and principles of justice, equality, comprehensive distribution of health services, and accessibility and availability of these services.”
Meanwhile, His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the governors of regions for their patronage of the ceremony, and placing the foundations of such substantial health projects, as well as their unending and unstinting follow-up and support for health services, with a view to providing best-quality healthcare for the Saudi people.
It is worth mentioning that these projects have covered Hail Region. A number of 11 health centers have been established, equipped, opened and operated, in addition to 5 new health centers. Besides, the Cardiac Center has been operated, and the renovation of Hail General Hospital (300 beds) has been approved. Also, the establishment of the Kidney Center (40 dialysis chairs) has been approved, as well as South Western Hail Hospital (300 beds), and 18 health centers, as part of (Phase 4), carried out at a total cost of SR 1.5 billion.
In the Northern Border Region, the foundations of a number of new health projects costing over SR 1.088 million have been placed; including Al-Amal Complex for Mental Health (100 beds), primary healthcare centers in 'Ar'ar, Rafhaa and Tareef, the comprehensive development of the Recovery and Medical Rehabilitation Hospital in 'Ar'ar, and the comprehensive development of Prince Abdullah bin Mesa'ed Cardiac. That's to be added to placing the foundations of a number of new health projects, encompassing the Dialysis Center in 'Ar'ar, the Workers Residence at the Maternity and Children Hospital, 'Ar'ar, the Workers Residence at Al-Amal Complex for Mental Health, 'Ar'ar, the Workers Residence at Tareef General Hospital (2nd and 3rd phases), and the Region's medical supply and general warehouses project, in addition to raising the bed capacity of the Maternity and Children Hospital, 'Ar'ar, from 200 to 300 beds, and approving its operational program.
In Al-Jouf Region, a number of health projects, with a total cost of over SR 1.2 billion, have been approved; including the Mental Health and Addiction Hospital, Sakaka, the Mental Health and Addiction, Al-Qurayyat, Abu-Ajram General Hospital, Al-Hadithah General Hospital, the Workers Residence at Tabarjal Hospital, the Workers Residence at Al-Isawiyah Hospital, the Workers Residence at Suwair Hospital, and the Dialysis Project (15 beds) at Prince Abdulrahman Al-Sedairi Hospital, Sakaka.
Moreover, the foundation stone of 14 health projects has been placed in various parts of Al-Jouf Region; including the Gynecology, Obstetrics and Children Hospital, Al-Jouf, the Dialysis Center (40 chairs) at King Abdulaziz Hospital, Sakaka, the Regional Laboratory, Al-Jouf, the establishment and equipment of Maikoo' Hospital, the establishment of the Dental Center, Al-Jouf, the establishment of the Workers Residence at King Abdulaziz Hospital, and the Workers Residence at the Medical Tower, Al-Jouf, as well as the establishment of 7 health centers (namely: Qara Health Center, Al-Towair Health Center, Al-Rabwah Health Center in Sakaka, Domat Al-Jandal Health Center, King Fahad District Health Center in Domat Al-Jandal, Hadraj and Al-Do'aijaa Health Center in Tabarjal, and Al-Hadithah Health Center in Al-Qurayyat). That's to be added to the establishment of the Workers Residence at the Mental Health Hospital in Al-Qurayyat, the Workers Residence at the Mental Health Hospital in Al-Jouf, and the Workers Residence at Tabarjal General Hospital.
Still, in Tabuk Region, the foundation stone of a number of new health projects, with a total cost of SR 875 million, has been put down; including the establishment of the Gynecology, Obstetrics and Children Hospital (200 beds), the establishment of Mental Health and Addiction Hospital (200 beds), the establishment and equipment of the Regional Laboratory, Blood Bank and Poison Center, the establishment of four warehouses in Tabuk, Taima and Al-Wajh, and the establishment of workers residences at King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Duba Hospital, Taima Hospital and Umloj Hospital. The Ministry of Health (MOH) has also operated 2 hospitals and 30 health centers in the region over the past 3 years.
Moving on to Riyadh Region, the contracts of three medical towers at King Saud Medical City, Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Hospital and Al-Eman General Hospital have been signed at a total cost of SR 967.529.076. Besides, there is a number of projects undergoing their final phases, such as Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Hospital (500 beds), Riyadh, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal Hospital (200 beds), Al-Quai'eyah General Hospital (200 beds), the Gynecology and Obstetrics Hospital (200 beds), Al-Kharj, as well as the establishment of the Health Affairs General Directorate Headquarters in Riyadh Region, Al-Bejadeyah General Hospital (50 beds), Darma Hospital (50 beds), Al-Artaweyah General Hospital (50 beds), Al-Mazahemeyah Hospital (50 beds), Northern Riyadh Hospital (300 beds), the Mental Health Hospital (200 beds), Al-Kharj, Hotat-Sedair Hospital (150 beds), and Rowaidat Al-Areed Hospital (50 beds).
Besides, there are a number of projects that have been approved as part of the MOH's Budget for this year (1433H); including Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Hospital (500 beds), 15 comprehensive clinics in Riyadh Region, Al-Kharj General Hospital (300 beds), Al-Salil Hospital (200 beds), Afif General Hospital (200 beds), Remah Hospital (50 beds), Helban Hospital (50 beds), Dar Al-Ekhaa Psychiatric Hospital, Western Riyadh Hospital (500 beds), the Mental Health Hospital (500 beds), Riyadh, and the Medical Tower of Al-Yamamah Hospital (500 beds).
As for primary health care, a plan has been set for the establishment of a network of primary health care centers covering all Al-Riyadh Region's cities and provinces. This is planned to be carried out on four phases, the first two phases of which have been already accomplished. Thus, the total number of health centers to be established by the end of the fourth phase will be 256 centers. The total cost of Riyadh's health projects is SR 6.096.000.000.
In addition, a Royal Decree has been issued to support the MOH Budget with SR 16 billion, to establish a number of medical cities in various regions. These cities include a diversity of specialist hospitals, tumor centers, neurological centers, cardiac and cardiovascular centers, radiological therapy centers, organ transplantation centers, ophthalmological centers, and many other rare specialties. It is projected that these medical cities would add 7000 beds to the Kingdom's regions, thereby relieving the burden of traveling for patients, by enabling them to receive sound treatment at their respective regions, thus achieving a paradigm shift in the performance of the national health sector.
Over the past three years, the Ministry of Health managed to accomplish a number of health projects that proved effective in providing best-quality health services for our citizens. One of such projects is the system developed by the Ministry to detect gross errors at hospitals; it is an e-system recording events and displaying them on the screens installed at the MOH officials so as to support the hospital and pinpoint gross errors. These errors could be in blood transfer, or performing surgeries on the wrong organ or wrong patient.
Among the projects, also, is the development of the Clinical Audit Program, which enables officials to follow up 49 clinical indicators at 90 MOH hospitals, such as the deaths caused by surgeries, hospital deaths, their proportion, and the like internationally approved criteria and standards. Another important and innovative program is the Bed Management Program, necessary for following up the bed movement, seeking to make best use of beds. It should be noted, in this respect, that the bed circulation has been increased by 20% over the past three years, which means that more patients are likely to benefit from beds.
Besides, the Day Surgery Program has improved the day surgery service from 2% to 33% in most MOH hospitals. In doing so, the Ministry managed to conduct 50.000 day-surgeries at its hospitals; which is reckoned a grand development, as the number of day surgeries used to be only a few hundreds of operations. Also, the Patient Relations Program, staffed by over 1000 employees, takes as its ultimate objective the preservation of patients' health, comfort and content, by way of providing sound answers for their questions and inquiries, and helping them when visiting hospitals. This program is constantly conducting questionnaires to measure patients' content and satisfaction of the services provided for them.
The Home Medicine Program, likewise, has been supported with all the necessary requirement and equipment (cars, doctors, nurses, etc.). It is now providing its services for some 13.000 patients at their homes. That's to be added to the Visiting Doctor Program, that has attracted some 1323 consultants to work at remote regions, and provide high-quality medical services through specialist clinics.