His Excellency, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah commended what the health services receive in terms of support and care of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and the Second Deputy, may Allah protect them; and their steady interest in providing the optimal health services for the citizens all over the Kingdom.
This came on the occasion of releasing the state's general budget of the fiscal year 1435/1436, and what the budget of the Ministry of Health (MOH) received in terms of increase in its appropriations which will have a positive impact on improving and developing the level of the health services, and their expanding in terms of numbers and quality.
As regards the MOH official spokesperson, Dr. Khalid Marghlani, he pointed out that the MOH's budget of the current fiscal year amounted to SR 59,985, 360,000, by 10, 37 percentage increase, more than the budget of the last fiscal year. This budget included appropriating 151 new health centers for the primary health care, as well as establishing several specialized medical hospitals and centers across the regions and governorates of the Kingdom.
The following table demonstrates the distribution of the MOH's budget appropriations for the 1435/1436H fiscal year:
Salaries and Allowances |
36,180,909,000 |
60,3 % |
|---|
| Operational Expenses and General Programs |
18,803,264,000 |
31,4% |
|---|
| Construction and Developmental projects |
5,001,187, 000 |
8,3% |
|---|
| Total |
59,985,360,000 |
100% |
|---|
Operational Expenses and General Programs 18,803,264,000 31,4%
Construction and Developmental projects 5,001,187, 000 8,3%
Total 59,985,360,000 100%
He went on to add that the operational expenses and general programs are mainly focused on the medicines, medical equipment and accessories, patients' life-support devices, treating patients within and outside the Kingdom, training and scholarship, and self-operation programs and preventive programs: the most important of which are obesity control, medical cities, and dengue fever.
As far as the construction and development projects are concerned, he remarked that this year's munificent budget involved appropriating the costs of a number of the new health projects; in the following manner:
| 1- |
Establishing medical complex in Riyadh (1000) beds |
|---|
| 2- |
Establishing medical complex in Jeddah (1000) beds |
|---|
| 3- |
Establishing Khamis Mushait Hospital (500) beds |
|---|
| 4- |
Going up King Khalid Hospital in Ha'il (500) beds |
|---|
| 5- |
Establishing Al-Qassim Reference Hospital (500) beds |
|---|
| 6- |
Establishing King Khalid Hospital in Hafar Al-Batin |
|---|
| 7- |
Establishing King Khalid Hospital in Al-Kharj (500) beds |
|---|
| 8- |
Establishing Al-Qamhah and Al-Barq hospital in 'Asir |
|---|
| 9- |
Establishing Al-Mahd hospital in Madinah |
|---|
| 10- |
Establishing east Asir hospital |
|---|
| 11- |
Establishing Turabah hospital in Ta'if |
|---|
| 12- |
Establishing ophthalmology center in Jizan |
|---|
| 13- |
Establishing tumor center in Tabuk |
|---|
| 14- |
Establishing child's growth and behavior disorders center in Riyadh |
|---|
| 15- |
Establishing child's growth and behavior disorders center in the Eastern Region |
|---|
| 16- |
Establishing child's growth and behavior disorders center in Makkah |
|---|
| 17- |
Establishing Layla hospital |
|---|
| 18- |
Establishing Al-bukairyah general hospital |
|---|
| 19- |
Establishing emergency and injuries center in the North of Riyadh Hospital |
|---|
| 20- |
Establishing emergency and injuries center in East Jeddah General Hospital |
|---|
| 21- |
Establishing five polyclinics in the Eastern Region |
|---|
| 22- |
Establishing five polyclinics in Jeddah |
|---|
| 23- |
Establishing the outpatient building and emergency building in the Yanbu General Hospital |
|---|
| 24- |
Establishing specialized dental center in Unaizah |
|---|
| 25- |
Establishing specialized dental center in Rafha |
|---|
| 26- |
Establishing specialized dental center in Dawadmi |
|---|
| 27- |
Establishing specialized dental center in Al Lith |
|---|
Meanwhile, he made clear that these projects will be an addition to what is being carried out in terms of medical city projects; they are King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Medical City in Makkah, King Khalid Medical city in the Eastern Region, King Faisal Medical City in service of the southern regions of the Kingdom, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul-Rahman Al Saud, and expanding the King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh. In addition to this, there are many hospitals, specialized centers, and primary healthcare centers being implemented, distributed to the entire regions and governorates of the Kingdom, which will double the number of beds and health facilities.
He went on adding that a number of new general, developmental projects was approved which will contribute to raising the efficiency of the medical services; the most important of which are developing the central laboratories and blood banks in the Kingdom and assessing the work environment of the health facilities. Further, it has been approved a number of the projects related to going up housing of the staff and furnishing and equipping a host of health facilities in the entire regions and governorates at SR 1,925,000,000, as well as the approval of nine projects of the health information technologyat SR 720,000,000.
He also affirmed that what is approved in terms of new programs and projects or developing go with the National Project for the Integrated and Inclusive Healthcare, which materializes the principles of justice, equality, and inclusiveness in terms of the distribution of the health services and its attainability.
Within the same vein, he made clear that the health projects operated in the last five years reached 72 hospitals; of which there are 24 restored hospitals and 48 new hospitals with 9255 bed capacity. This brings the current number of hospitals to 272 hospitals. Also, Allah willing, during the current and next fiscal year, 45 hospitals are to be operated and inaugurated in the entire regions of the Kingdom. And currently 143 hospitals and medical towers with 34701 bed capacity are to be implemented and put up for tender. This in turn makes the total number of beds 38970 beds in 1435; meaning that by the end of the 1440H strategic plan the gross number of beds will reach 73678 ones after these projects have completed.
As far as the primary healthcare centers which their construction has finished during the last four years are concerned, their number reached 824 health centers. Currently, 91 new health centers are being established, as well as 756 health centers whose implementation procedures are being completed; to be added to the host of the current primary healthcare centers, totaling 2259 ones in all.
He concluded his statement adding that the MOH works on providing and upgrading the health services as well as interest in capitalizing on all the financial allocations of the Ministry of Health (MOH) and achieving the optimal benefit from them in a manner that materializes developing the health services, pushing the wheel of the health work in our dear country, and contributing to meeting the needs of citizens, serving patients, and gaining their satisfaction. This in turn embodies the MOH's motto "Patient First"
It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Health (MOH), during the last year, provided its services for more than 55 million patients through the primary healthcare centers and 20 million patients through the hospitals related to it. On the other hand, it provided its services for 11 million patients through emergency sections. And, the number of those benefiting from the home medicine services amounted to more than 33000 patients; and more than 450 thousand surgical operations were conducted in the MOH's hospitals.