Referring to what the Ministry of Health (MOH) has recently observed on some media outlets and social networking websites, and after the spread of a wide range of claims about the treatment requests by some patients in a manner which badly affects patients and undermines confidence in efforts exerted by the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, represented by the Ministry of Health, to provide medical care for citizens and maintain their health and safety based on Article 31 of the Basic Law of Governance which stipulates that, “The State shall look after public health and provide health care for every citizen”;
Upon the above-mentioned facts, the MOH reiterates that it is committed to providing health services and medical care for patients, in accordance with the medical norms, regulations and laws adopted inside or outside the Kingdom, given that the patient's health status and physician's medical opinion are only the criterion in this point. The Ministry also affirms that it is taking into consideration the patient’s status, and exerts its utmost efforts to meet his needs in treatment.
After reviewing the cases published on media outlets, it was found that the majority of them have treatment inside the Kingdom, and would not benefit from the treatment abroad due to the lack of a cure for them as said by specialist consultants from different health sectors, meaning that the decision is merely medical issued by specialists.
Finally, the Ministry wants to clarify that it operates according to a scientific mechanism and methodology that achieves justice and equality among citizens; noting that the criterion here is the health status of the patient and physician's medical opinion. Also, the Ministry wants to highlight that it has activated the Citizen's Voice System via its portal: http://www.moh.gov.sa; to receive citizens' requests, complaints and suggestions regarding the services provided for them. In addition, the MOH has activated the 937 Service to provide ambulatory services and meet the needs of patients, as well as some quality service programs such as the Referral Program (Ehalati), and the Home Medicine Program to serve all the patients.