The ministry of health is the only authority to release health information in Makkah and Madinah during Haj, as Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, Health Minister announced. He commented “Major health problems such as an outbreak of epidemics or mass food poisoning among pilgrims will be communicated to the public only by the Ministry of Health. Serving the guests of Allah is our top priority at the moment” saying that health officials should provide the best health services to pilgrims with maximum comfort and ease during their pilgrimage.

He said “According to the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, we are dedicated to providing the best of services to the guests of Allah. The functions of the Haj committees are interlinked through an electronic network to ensure integrated healthcare services. The sick should be transported to the nearest health facility without loss of time”. He added that the ambulances available at all strategic points within the holy sites would be useful.

Around 20,000 people from several medical, technical, administrative fields are hired for the Haj season this year. In order to prevent all epidemic diseases, officials at all 14 ports of entry are positioned to detect the health condition of pilgrims coming for Haj. These officials ensure pilgrims have taken the necessary vaccinations. The minister mentioned that Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifah are ready to receive pilgrims with 80 primary healthcare centers.

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Several consultant doctors are going to have interviews with the Ministry of Health to be hired in healthcare centers in Dammam. Those centers are currently served only by general practitioners. According to official sources in the Ministry of Health, Those new doctors will have gradually visits to health centers on certain days. In order to ensure that the visiting doctors treat the highest possible numbers of people, lists of patients will be prepared.

The Ministry of Health aims to decrease number of suffering patients who primary healthcare centers near their homes. This is much easier to them instead of going a long distance to visit central or specialist hospitals. The sources added “The plan is also expected to reduce crowding in outpatient clinics of central and specialist hospitals in cities and governorates”.

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Spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Director Public Relations in Jeddah, Dr. Khaled Marghalani, said “The Ministry of Health is launching a unified program to allow patients to follow up their transactions electronically, in the Kingdom and in health offices abroad”. Patients across the Kingdom can check their transactions electronically, instead of visiting the ministry’s offices through this program which linked to the ministry unified network. Marghalani added “The system has been designed so patients, especially those who seek treatment outside the Kingdom, can follow the processing of their papers and transactions while they are abroad”.

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In order to financially support the building of a blood plasma derivatives factory, the Ministry of Health in Jeddah has dedicated about SR800 million. “Before the year 2013, this factory will be able to generate 14 types of medication, containing those for cancer, skin diseases, burns, bleeding, clotting deficiencies, and other important antibiotics” said Dr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, the ministry’s Director of Laboratories and Blood Bank Department.

As a fact, after building this factory the Kingdom will be one of 10 countries that offer this technology. Another plan is being set for updating and developing 20 blood banks in the country that will cost about SR500 million.

Al-Omar commented saying that “By using local blood, the factory will generate medications inside the country instead of importing them from abroad”. He also said “There is cooperation between the Kingdom and the Council of Arab Health Ministers to build this factory to provide services for all countries in the region”. He added that the construction of this factory represents a good investment because importing blood costs too much.

Statistics say that more than 415,000 blood bags in the Kingdom had been collected last year by 252 blood banks. The Kingdom has also around 25,000  registered blood donors.

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The Saudi ministry of health mentioned that it has not converted its regulations controlling the ownership of clinics and pharmacies and dismissed rumors that rules have been modified in order to enable any Saudi to start up a clinic. Any Saudi may open a clinic or pharmacy regardless the employment of Saudi medical specialist to manage the facility.  These rumors were reported in a sector of local media.

A statement on the ministry’s website explained that “ “The Ministry Of Health Noticed a false report in the local media and on some websites quoting an official source of the ministry without supplying his name or position, The report said that we would soon permit any Saudi citizen to open clinics and pharmacies in a bid to stop the practice of illegally using the names of doctors and pharmacists”.

The order, which stipulates that only Saudi physicians and pharmacists may operate clinics and pharmacies, is the only one which could be modified through long operation including studies in details by specialists concerning the necessary for a modification. The statement noted that the acceptance of the Shoura Council and the Council of Ministers besides a final endorsement from higher authorities is mandatory in order to make the change.

Recently, according to a source at the Ministry of Health, modifications related to the terms and conditions controlling the ownership of private health facilities are being considered. The ministry’s statement reported that no recent regulations were applied until any converts have been decided upon. But a lot of members of the Shoura Council believe that the law stating that only a pharmacist can have a pharmacy should be converted as the regulation could cause corruption in practicing. Moreover, any Saudi should be permitted to have a pharmacy, referring recently that any citizen could have a pharmaceutical factory.

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The Jordanian Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that is going to put more efforts to facilitate corneal transplants for patients staying at public hospitals. Dr. Nayef Fayez, the Ministry of health, said that his ministry is going to collaborate with eye surgery specialists to carry out transplant operations at ministry hospitals supported with the needed facilities.

Dr. Fayez added that a number of 110 corneal transplant operations took place recently at Prince Hamzah Hospital; he noted that around 250 cornea transplant operations are carried out in Jordanian public hospitals annually.  Dr. Fayez stressed that these operations represent a step towards the plan conducted by the Ministry of Health to fight blindness in Jordan.

In the same time, there are calls from the Friends of the Eye Bank Society for more cornea donations, as there are more than 2000 patients waiting for corneal transplantation procedures. Ahmad Shaker, the society’s secretary general, said that there are about 4000 corneas donated in Jordan during the last 30 years, there are other 5000 corneas obtained by importation from other countries. Shaker noted that each surgery costs about JD600, while an imported cornea costs about JD1, 250. He said “We want to reach a stage where people realize the importance of cornea donation to restore and save people’s sight,”

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The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia announced that it is launching an anti-smoking campaign throughout the country during Ramadan. The announcement was made by Dr. Majed Al-Munif, supervisor general of the Tobacco Control Program at the ministry. He said “It’s a timely launch geared to reduce the smoking population in the Kingdom,” he added that the campaign is going to use both the electronic and print media.

Dr. Al-Munif noted that television, radio, and thousands of leaflets, brochures and posters are going to deliver special messages to encourage people to stop smoking during Ramadan. These messages will also be displayed through the 20 health regions of Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the Ministry of Health is beginning a website, www.tcp-sa.org, addressing the same issue. The site will offer its visitors some guidelines they should follow to stop smoking. Dr. Al-Munif said “We will also try to reach a section of people through the Kingdom’s Daw’ah centers to encourage people to stop smoking. The holy month provides an ideal opportunity to give up smoking which has killed around 29 million people in the world,” he noted that the campaign will extend to 50 anti-smoking clinics throughout the Saudi Arabia. These clinics are going be kept open daily from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. during Ramadan.  There are 10 among these clinics in Riyadh, and two of them are exclusively for women. Dr. Al-Munif continued “If smokers can do without tobacco during the day, why can’t they do without it during the night also? This will be the main emphasis of our campaign. We are trying to reach smokers through mosques, anti-smoking clinics, public places, parks, malls, hospitals and schools,” he said.

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