RIYADH: The Health Ministry has signed a deal with Al-Kaws Development Technology to foster public awareness against smoking and help people quit.
“Health Minister Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah signed the agreement with Al-Kaws at his ministerial office to complete financing of the Anti-Smoking Clinics Complex in Abha,” the ministry said Sunday.
Under the deal, the two parties will provide anti-smoking clinics for male and female smokers.
The 31 clinics in various health centers and hospitals in the Kingdom will offer therapeutic services for those wanting to quit smoking.
A treatment plan has been developed for a period of three months, after which the person is considered a former smoker.
Tobacco addiction is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide. Smoking and other tobacco use kills more than 7 million people each year, according to the World Health Organization.
About 70,000 Saudis die annually from smoking-related diseases, according to Health Ministry statistics.
The price of cigarettes has been doubled in the Kingdom by an excise tax that became effective in June, in an effort to discourage their purchase.
Moreover, the ministry has allocated a sizable budget to the “No Tobacco Campaign” to foster public awareness on the dangers of using tobacco.
Saudi Health Ministry in deal to combat smoking
Saudi Health Ministry in deal to combat smoking
Saudi Arabia announces new financial support to the Yemeni government
RIYADH: Saudi Ambassador to Yemen and Supervisor of the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber announced that the Kingdom, under the directives of its leadership, has provided new support to the Yemeni government's budget, aimed at paying the salaries of state employees in all sectors.
In a post on X, Al-Jaber stated that this support complements a package of development projects and initiatives, amounting to SR1.9 billion, announced on Wednesday. The package includes provision of necessary petroleum derivatives to operate power plants, which will contribute to improving the living standards of people in Yemen and alleviating daily burdens on them.
Al-Jaber’s post emphasized, in particular, that all salaries of military and security forces linked to the the higher military committee linked to the Saudi led Coalition will be paid as of Sunday.
The post is likely relate to Several Media reports which have suggested that disgraced former Southern Transitional Council (STC) chief Aidaroos Al Zubaidi — who has now fled Yemen — was taking advantage of military personnel and withholding salaries as means of pressure. Al-Zubaidi is wanted by the Yemeni government for acts of high treason and corruption.
The ambassador emphasized that these steps come within the framework of supporting the Yemeni government's efforts to implement the economic reform program, which aims to achieve financial and economic stability and enhance the state's ability to meet its basic obligations.
