His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah has commended the support and interest of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, May Allah protect them, to the health services, as well as their incessant keenness to provide the best overall health care to all citizens all over the kingdom.
In implementation of the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, through the cabinet’s session, during which the adoption of the largest budget throughout the Kingdom's history has been approved for the new fiscal year 1434/1435H, each minister and senior official has clarified and elucidated strictly and elaborately for the mass media what’s relevant to his sector of the budget, in terms of reviewing the new programs and projects included in the new budget. Hence, His Excellency the Minister of Health pointed out that the new budget of the Ministry of Health (MOH) for the fiscal year 1434/1435H comprises several health programs and projects that will provide further health services in all regions of the Kingdom.
Moreover, Dr. Al-Rabeeah announced that this year’s MOH budget has reached about SR 54.350.355.000, with an increase of 15.45%, compared to the budget of the last fiscal year. Whereas, this budget is deemed to reinforce the MOH’s efforts, in the light of the National Project for Comprehensive and Integrated Health Care, by way of the expansion in establishing the medical cities, hospitals, and specialized and primary health care centers in all regions and governorates of the Kingdom, in a manner that contributes - Allah willing - to meeting the needs of the citizens, upgrading and improving the level of the medical services provided to them.
Following is the MOH's budget in detail:
| Section I (Salaries) |
Salaries & Allowances |
25.200.000.000 |
| Section II (Operating Costs) |
Mainly: Medicines/Training/Accommodation |
7.758.600.000 |
| Section III (Operating) |
Self-Employment Programs /Contracts of Maintenance, Cleaning and Medical Maintenance |
16.391.755.000 |
| Section IV (Projects) |
Construction and Development Projects |
5.000.000.000 |
| The total |
54.350.3550.000 |
Thereafter, Dr. Al-Rabeeah stated that the salaries of MOH’s employees, whether included in section I or within the Self- Employment Programs in section II, represent about 60% of MOH’s total budget. On the other hand, this year’s budget includes the inauguration of 155 primary health care centers disseminated to all regions and governorates of the Kingdom.
Speaking of items of section II, with regard to the operating costs, the Minister of Health has mentioned that the main increase is a sum of SR400.000.000 which has been added to the item of medicines and medical supplies, to make the total assigned fund for this item be SR 4.550.000.000. In addition, there is an increase of SR 50.000.000 to the item of training and scholarship to become SR 400.000.000, aside from an increase of SR 150.000.000 to the item of Patients' accommodation to be become SR800.000.000.
However, the most significant addition in section III of the budget is the approval to adopt a number of 20 self-employment programs to run in new-built and equipped hospitals.
Regarding section IV, Dr. Al-Rabeeah made clear that the costs of establishing a number of new health projects have been approved. These health projects comprise the replacement of Al-Ansar Hospital in Madinah with a bed capacity of 200 beds, the Mental Health Hospital in the Holy Capital with a total capacity of 500 beds, and the Mental Health Hospital in Al-Baha with a capacity of 200 beds, that is to be added to the twelve Mental Health Hospitals currently being established in all regions of the Kingdom, as well as the Maternity & Children's Hospital in Al-Qurayyiat with a bed capacity of 200 beds, to be added to the seventeen maternity & children's hospitals currently being established. Moreover, the projects encompass the establishment of a number of medical towers, mainly a medical tower at Dammam Medical Complex with a total capacity of 200 beds, and a tower for emergency and accidents at Dammam Medical Complex, and outpatient clinics tower at Qatif Central Hospital, aside from the establishment of the medical tower for emergency and specialized programs at Prince Abdulaziz bin Musaed Hospital in Arar.
Dr. AL-Rabeeah kept on adding that the budget included the establishment of a number of three brain oncology centers in Jazan, Hail and Al-Ahsa with a bed capacity of 100 beds in each center, that is to be added to the current five centers, in addition to the approval of establishing three cardiac centers in each of Jazan, Tabuk and Taif, that is to be added to the current nine cardiac centers.
Besides, the budget comprises six dental centers in each of the Holy City (Makkah), Al-Ahsa, Taif, Qatif, Al-Kharj and Samtah with a total capacity of 430 clinics, that is to be added to the four specialized dental centers that have been established in Dammam, Madinah, Najran and Al-Jouf, as well as the three dental centers which are currently being established in Tabuk, Qassim and Al-Baha.
Over and above, His Excellency the Minister of Health indicated that these projects are to be added to the 102 new hospitals that are presently being established throughout the regions and governorates of the Kingdom, aside from the establishment of five medical cities, in compliance with the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques - May Allah protect him - in order to provide the advanced and specialized health care of fourth degree to serve all regions and provinces all over our beloved Kingdom.
Concluding, Dr. Al-Rabeeah confirmed that MOH is sparing no effort to realize the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, May Allah protect them, in terms of promoting the quality of performance in all health facilities and adopting new programs to serve patients, as well as upgrading the existing programs of Home Medicine, emergency services, clinical audit and preventive medicine services.