The Minister of Health Dr. Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Man' declared handover of 40 newly established hospitals throughout the Kingdom is now under way with an overall cost of SR1.9 billion.
Giving a statement on the occasion of the new budget, Dr. Al-Man' expressed his gratitude towards the leadership for the unlimited support provided to the health services. "The government support had its crucial effect on raising the standards of our services to such high levels that they are matching their counterparts in the developed countries", he said. "We have won the trust of relative international organizations.. The Kingdom ranks as 22nd internationally in health expenditure".
"The efforts exerted by MOH come in line with its endeavor to promote its services for the benefit of both the citizens and residents", he said, "The budget carries many good news, especially in the health sector. Work is now under way in a number of health projects, including the Health Belt which involves establishment of specialized reference hospitals in the major cities for enabling people to get their health needs in their home cities instead of traveling to Riyadh. In this regard, eight reference hospitals have been approved and constructed, namely, Fahd Medical City in Riyadh, Fahd Specialized Hospital in Dammam, King Abdul Aziz Hospital in Al-Jouf, King Fahd Hospital in Tabuk, Hail Specialized Hospital, Beljurashi Specialized Hospital in Al-Baha, and North Jeddah Specialized Hospital. In addition, establishment of a number of primary health care centers is under way. Handover works for 150 high quality health centers have started and contracts have been signed for the establishment of 420 health centers of the same standard. 440 health centers have also been approved within the project of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for establishing 2000 health centers throughout the Kingdom. 380 care centers are, moreover, included in the coming year budget and a number of present centers are subject to expansion”.
"Intensive care beds have also increased and their services improved for meeting the demands of our respected citizens", the minister continued. "Intensive care beds of the Riyadh Medical Complex, for example, have been increased by 100. A contract have also been signed for the establishment of the National Health Laboratory with a cost of SR114 million as a first installment. It is anticipated that this laboratory shall be an important tool for instant detection of diseases and epidemics", he concluded.