RIYADH: Health Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said financial requirements in the health care sector are expected to rise over the coming years given the increasing number of accidents, smoking and obesity rates in the Kingdom. He estimated the amount required will be about SR250 billion by 2030.
Al-Rabiah was delivering a speech at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University on Sunday as part of the ministry’s initiative “The Health Care Model,” which is the first of over 40 initiatives under Saudi reform plans.
He said car accidents result in deaths, injuries and disabilities of thousands of people; obesity rates are increasing due to lack of exercise; and smoking rates have increased particularly among the youth. These factors will all see health care financial requirements rise every year.
The minister said the most important element in health care transformation will be to institutionalize the sector, and reorganize its funding methods so it does not depend on budgets but on the standard of “payment for service,” in order to improve service efficiency.
The ministry currently manages 279 hospitals with the capacity of over 42,000 beds. These hospitals receive more than 16 million patients in clinics annually, and over 18 million ill people and 21 million injured in emergency rooms.
Al-Rabiah said the health care model was designed with the participation of relevant parties from all over the Kingdom. This model will reconstruct the structure of the primary health care sector, and support it with tools and initiatives that will enable it to be effective.
“This model projects the future and preserves the health of the healthy and treats the ill,” Al-Rabiah said, adding that technology will be an essential element of that new model that will focus greatly on prevention through awareness programs and the dissemination of health information.
He said public health insurance “will be implemented. But for it to exist, we need a health care system that is well-founded with prepared services, service providers, administrative systems, a funding system and linked elements.”
He said other countries tried to implement health insurance without paying attention to these factors and failed, and are still failing to create a good health care system.
Saudi health care sector ‘to require SR250bn by 2030’
Saudi health care sector ‘to require SR250bn by 2030’
Foreign ministers chair Saudi-Omani coordination council meeting in Muscat
MUSCAT: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi on Monday.
They reviewed bilateral relations between their nations and ways to enhance and develop them across various fields. Additionally, they discussed regional and international developments.
The ministers co-chaired the third meeting of the Saudi-Omani Coordination Council in the Omani capital, Muscat, with the participation of the heads of the Council’s subsidiary committees and the two heads of the Council’s General Secretariat teams.
The meeting comes as an affirmation of the keenness of Saudi and Omani leaders to strengthen ties and advance them toward greater prosperity for both nations.
In his remarks during the meeting, Prince Faisal affirmed that gathering builds on the previous council meeting, held last year in AlUla, and on its positive and fruitful outcomes within the framework of the approved recommendations and initiatives.
He stressed the importance of continuing the work of the council’s subsidiary committees to complete the necessary procedures to implement the remaining initiatives, and of the General Secretariat’s role in follow-up and in addressing any challenges that may hinder implementation.
He also underscored the importance of developing and enhancing trade relations, stimulating investment, and strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors.
He also praised the ongoing work to establish and launch the Coordination Council’s electronic platform, which aims to connect all committee work and initiatives to facilitate follow-up on the Council’s progress.
Al-Busaidi affirmed in his remarks the qualitative progress in relations between the two countries and the notable development witnessed across numerous sectors toward achieving economic integration and enhancing intra-trade and joint investments.
The Omani foreign minister also highlighted deeper cooperation in the security and judicial fields, as well as the cultural and tourism sectors, noting the advanced and continuous political cooperation, consultation, and coordination on regional and international issues.
