RIYADH — Eighty Saudi and US health experts discussed an integrated perspective over health sector development at Saudi-US Healthcare Forum, which was organized under the aegis of Riyadh Emir Prince Faisal Bin Bandar at Ritz Carlton on Monday. US Ambassador Joseph W. Westphal and over 1,000 academics, experts and specialists in health sector, attended the opening ceremony. The Forum worksheets focus on development of healthcare, medical insurance programs, boosting transparency in purchasing medications and reduction of costs that have doubled in the past years while keeping up the high standards of quality. Dr. Yousef Asiri, vice rector King Saud University, said: "The Saudi-US Healthcare Forum discusses alleviated healthcare through researches, technology and education as a major interest of countries in this advanced age known with the parallel increase of new diseases and medical discoveries to combat these diseases using technology, laboratories and materials." Asiri elucidated the concern King Saud University pays to health researches, development and budgets allocation, creating agreements with global institutions and scientists. Asiri pointed out the concern given to health research chairs, founding of Prince Naif Center for Healthcare Researches with its distinguished labs, which energizes researchers for high quality researches. Asiri highlighted that King Saud University has recently established Diabetes Center, expanded King Khalid University Hospital, Dentistry Hospital as well as work is going on in expanding King Abdul Aziz University Hospital and foundation of King Fahd Cardiology Center. Adel Abdul Shakour, president of organizing committee of the three-day exhibition titled "Focus on alleviating healthcare through research, technology, education and innovation", noted that Saudi medical organizations adopt best international technologies through over 200,000 specialists 30 percent of which are physicians with increased number of Saudis in the last couple of years. "Despite their elevated certifications, these huge cadres require to follow up with the latest in healthcare, which the forum seeks to achieve through gathering US representatives of medical departments." Abdul Shakour said. The forum hosts over 80 American and Saudi speakers with more than 30 worksheets to discuss solutions of medical sector challenges and boost bilateral development. Abdul Shakour expressed his wishes that the forum would be an annual event pointing out last year's success with over 1,000 participants and 70 speakers. Westphal said: "Governments around the world have learned an important lesson about the urgent need to exchange information on infectious disease threats. Since the emergence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome to Ebola outbreak in West Africa to the recent crisis of Zika fever in the Western hemisphere, we have discovered that there is no state immune against infectious diseases threat. Based upon this fact, the US and the Saudi governments and many other governments around the world have developed "Global Health Security Plan" to speed up joint readiness, capabilities of surveillance, detection and response to these threats." He pointed out that the Saudi Ministry of Health and the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) have a partnership with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Westphal noted that this year's C3 Saudi-US Healthcare Forum corresponds with US trade Commission for Health and Healthcare Services visit to the Kingdom with19 medical care global trade service providers to boost operational face in the variable medical care system in the Kingdom. Hassan Al-Damluji, head of Middle East relations for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said: "The medical sector in the Kingdom is passing various developments and has several tasks to accomplish." Al-Damluji confirmed the Saudi-US health sector cooperation that boosts skills and exchange ideas and that the Kingdom works hard to set up and develop partnerships to maintain development.
