In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
On this famous Day, the twenty third of September, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia experiences a heart-endearing occasion, that's to say, the passage of eighty three years since the entire Saudi states' parts unified under the name of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, by virtue of a royal decree, issued by the founding leader; King Abdul Aziz bin Abdurrahman bin Faisal Al Saud, May Allah rest his soul in peace. Through which he laid down the pillars of his fledgling state and drafted its constitution drawing on the Holy Book of Allah and the Sunna of His prophet peace be upon him. As such, his king sons take pledge to track his trailblazing, which turned its fear and ignorance into security and science; and its poverty into prosperity and boom.
On commemorating our National Day, we try to summon all the values, concepts, and sacrifices which accompanied the building of this colossal entity. As such, Of Allah's grace is that He singled out the Kingdom with prudent, reasonable leadership that sought and is still seeking to elevate this country and its citizens to the highest levels. Thus, since its founding and till this blooming, auspicious reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may Allah protect him, the marathon of good and thriving has not come to a halt. Still, the Kingdom witnessed huge, developmental renaissance in all the diverse life fields: medical, economic, educational, social, and cultural fields. Such inclusive development provided a citizen with a decent life, and made other states look upon the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in admiration and appreciation for its leadership and its regional, Arab, and international prestigious role.
In this vein, the health services received great importance and care from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, may Allah protect him, in order to provide the means of inclusive health care for the citizens of this giving country all over the kingdom. Thus, this positively mirrored in terms of achieving plans and programs of the Ministry of Health (MOH), aiming at improving performance and a patient's service, raising the efficiency of health professionals and those working in the health field, controlling diseases, and early detecting them. In this regard, in the last few years, many achievements were realized as part of an inclusive health strategy plan extending for ten years, which was approved by the MOH. It aims at providing health services with the highest global quality levels, under the motto "patient first"; this is within the framework of the National Project for the Integrated, Inclusive Health Care which was created out of the concept of justice and inclusiveness and in line with national and global measures.
Within the framework of the MOH's efforts to spread the health facilities in the entire Kingdom's regions and governorates, and in an endeavor to serve a patient and meet their satisfaction, it worked on developing its services and establishing more health projects. Thus, the total number of the MOH's hospitals, with the medical cities' hospitals included, reached 259 hospitals, and the number of the primary healthcare centers got up to 2098 health centers. Currently, 138 hospitals and medical towers, with 34800 bed capacity, are being carried out and put up for tender, to which the new five specialized centers and medical cities, with 9018 bed capacity, distributed to the Kingdom's regions are added. Also, 3 cardiac centers and 4 oncology centers are being put up for tender. All the more, in the next months, ten hospitals are to be operated and inaugurated as part of the MOH's plan for this year and next one "2012-2013", aiming at operating 30 hospitals which are being prepared and staffed. Within that respect, 8 projects were awarded; they included going up general, specialized, and referral hospitals, as well as the National Center for Disease transmitters in Jizan and the regional laboratory and poison center in Riyadh.
This was coped with a comprehensive mobility to enhance and develop the institutional and administrative work of the Ministry of Health (MOH), through creating the executive councils in the MOH's headquarters and the health affairs general directorates in all regions; in order to ensure the existence of the collective decision, based upon evidence and proofs, and to develop the quality of performance, and secure patients' safety. It is also to carry out the e-health strategy, hone the human calibers, and initiate the developmental programs, such as the Home Medicine Program which its services reached 28000 patients, in their domicile, till the second quarter of this year, through 173 hospitals providing 281 medical teams; and the Visiting Physician Program aiming at the outreach of the various specialized and rare medical specialties to the entire regions to the effect that 2823 consulting physicians took part.
Further, within the next few weeks, the first group of the Cuban consulting physicians will reach the Kingdom, as well as One-Day Surgery Program; and bed recycling aiming at the maximum benefit from the beds to serve a patient, this year, it has been applied in the entire MOH's hospitals with a 100-and-over bed capacity, and in the second half of this year 1434h, the number of surgical operations was as many as 39800 operations, by 8% increase compared to the last year, bringing the total percentage to 46%. Adding in that 100 hospitals were electronically linked, providing 14 indicators and reports on bed situation, occupancy rate, bed turnover rate, disease type, time taken by a patient to be served, and determining each physician's achievement rate. And Allah willing, the remainder hospitals, with the specialized and medical cities' hospitals included, will be linked within the next months.
The first stage of 937 Service was launched in order to serve patients and their families and meet their needs, as well as answering inquires and complaints and providing the ambulatory emergency services, through the MOH's emergency call center, which works around the clock, including the weekly and official holidays. Moreover, the Ministry of Health (MOH) initiated the E-Referral Program with the aim of facilitating patients' transporting among the various health care facilities, and created a control and emergency room to answer citizens' questions and those benefitting from the MOH's services, and to transport the emergency cases to the appropriate medical centers for treatment.
Add in the Patients' Relations and Rights Program which enabled the Ministry of Health (MOH) to monitor and be familiar with the assessment of patients' satisfaction level and those benefitting electronically in 100 hospitals, through electronically-organized surveys, computers, and personal ipad, to the effect that the respondents' answers are automatically transferred to the MOH's patients' Relations and Rights General Department.
This year, the hospitalization service for the chronic cases were purchased at RS 40 million; to relieve the burden over Riyadh's hospitals, and the same service are being put up for tender for other services according to the plan. Also, Dialysis Services Purchasing Program was awarded to the private sector by three stages for two global companies, to the effect that the service is to cover the MOH's patients benefitting from the dialysis with its two types included. Hence, the MOH earmarks RS 1, 9 billion annually to secure hemodialysis and Peritoneal dialysis services.
Also, E-Recruitment Program, linked to the self-operation program, was created to guarantee integrity, justice, and neutrality. And this year, the Program came in handy with regard to electronically transferring employees from a region to another.
As for the accreditation programs, this year, 50 hospitals were subjected to the local accreditation from Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions, and currently, 40 hospitals are undergoing the same assessment process. So far, 15 hospitals managed to obtain the accreditation of Joint Commission International (JCI), via the external accreditation program. And 21 more hospitals are being subjected to the same accreditation program.
Within the framework of its support for the MOH's efforts, at the beginning of this year, the reverend Premiership has approved establishing a center meant for preventing from diseases and their control as part of the MOH's organizational structure, entitling "the National Center for Disease Prevention and their Control"; with the aim of limiting the infectious and non-infectious diseases, and working on its detecting and following up, and curbing its spread.
In drawing my speech to a close, I pray Allah, the Almighty, to perpetuate the grace of security and stability for our dear country, protect the leader of its renaissance, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, HRH Crown Prince, and HRH the Second Deputy, and guide their footsteps to the path of good deeds; He is the Guardian and the Almighty.