His Excellency the Minster of Health, Eng. Khalid Al-Falih, has extended his gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz for patronizing the inauguration ceremony of King Abdullah Medical Complex and a number of health projects in Makkah region. The minister stressed that the success of these projects is just one of the fruitful outcomes of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' directives and care. Also, he extended thanks to the Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Governor of Makka and to His Royal Highness Prince Meshal bin Majid bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Jeddah.
The minister made the remarks during the inaugural ceremony of the 500-bed King Abdullah Medical Complex which provides services in several medical and surgical specialties including cardiac surgeries. Upon completion of the hospitals of obstetrics, pediatrics and ophthalmology, additional 600 beds are projected to be added to the complex capacity, and new specialties would be available too.
The opening of East Jeddah Hospital provides more 300 beds, in addition to an integrated dialysis center. The hospital provides medical services in many specialties including internal medicine, burn treatment, adult and newborn intensive care units, gynecology and obstetrics and children. The inauguration of 27 health centers to serve the province is no less important than other projects.
His Excellency the Minister of Health thanked His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Governor of Makka, for the motivational words he delivered to the Ministry's employees at the end of the ceremony. He expressed happiness, saying, "We are pleased to share this joy with you, and we extend our deepest thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, may Allah protect him, his wise government and the Ministry of Health (MOH) in particular, for such projects, along many others, which will be at the service of the great Saudi society".
Addressing the ceremony, Al-Falih recalled memories of other projects' inauguration, saying they have successfully met the aspirations of the Kingdom's leaders and citizens. He noted that as much as memories take him back to happiness, they ignite his sense of responsibility for providing high-quality health services that bring the citizens' expectations to a reality.
The MOH, according to Al-Falih, is aware that every citizen has the right to prevention against epidemics, to be educated on means of disease control and protection, and to receive treatment at advanced and accessible health facilities technically developed according to the highest level of safety and security. The ministry believes that citizens have the right to book a medical appointment whenever it is appropriate to their health condition and to avoid aggravation of their disease and its impacts.
Also, every citizen shall be protected against medical errors, the minister confirmed, and shall be treated by trained and qualified physicians and medical practitioners who are educated according to the highest standards. He maintained that citizens are entitled to find the best opportunities for work and development in the health sector and to have pioneer and internationally competitive medical and pharmaceutical industries.
Al-Falih indicated that the MOH is taking the necessary actions to lay a solid foundation upon which to achieve such an objective. He said the ministry established a center for epidemics control along its partnerships with local and international institutions as part of its anti-epidemic protection plan. In its endeavors to build a brighter health future, the MOH launched its new slogan "Health First" with the aim of consolidating a healthy lifestyle with better food, medicine and physical activities, in addition to organizing programs to combat obesity and reduce smoking and other unhealthy practices. He stressed that such measures are envisaged to put an end the sharp rise of chronic diseases and their harmful effects on the health of the citizens. In so doing, he noted, the ministry seeks to save the efforts being made for treatment of such diseases to providing treatment for other, no less serious categories of diseases.
He went on to say that health teams are touring through the Kingdom's health facilities, which are prioritized according to their needs, to ensure compliance with the required safety standards. The programs, set by the ministry for raising hospital efficiency, enhancing home health care and building new hospitals would shorten estimated waiting time for patients. As regards prevention of medical errors, Al-Falih stated that a team of specialists is working on a plan to establish a national center for patient safety designed to ensure availability of training and strict medical codes and protocols, whether in emergency departments or in any other therapeutic services.
MOH, the minister added, is developing an advanced database to provide electronic medical records and remote patient monitoring systems. He expounded that a digital platform for the sick-leave system would be ready soon. Addressing the ceremony on the national medical security, achieved by opening the door wide for the well-trained citizens, Eng. Khalid Al-Falih asserted that the Ministry is building partnerships with institutions in the Kingdom and worldwide to provide better academic and training opportunities. In the context of the national pharmaceutical security, the minister shed light on cooperation with the private sector in the Kingdom as a process adopted by the ministry so as to localize the pharmaceutical, medical and health supplies industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To that end, Al-Falih concluded, the MOH pushes world-class companies to support the Kingdom's industry with all their power.