Rabeah, Minister of Health, has announced a number of measures aimed at improving health services and productivity at the country's public hospitals. The measures include setting up an executive council in the ministry and in all the Kingdom's regions. Five committees are going to be established – for projects and maintenance, budgets, comprehensive quality, medical supplies and patient relations. These committees will also be set up in the country's regions. These decisions are in line with the directives of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and are meant to boost development and progress in all the service sectors. Dr. Al-Rabeah said these measures will ensure the Kingdom's health care ranks with those of advanced countries. The decisions stipulate the formation of an executive council to be headed by the minister of health. The council is tasked with working out principles, rules, and executive procedures governing the health services. The executive councils in each of the Kingdom's regions will be tasked with ensuring the execution of plans and programs, to monitor standards and suggest measures for improving services. The projects and maintenance committee is charged with following up on the progress of projects. It is also authorized to make any changes and modifications in these projects and come up with annual project plans. The budget committee is assigned to draft the ministry's annual budget; and the comprehensive quality committee is involved in ensuring standards are upheld. The medical supply committee has to follow-up on the ministry's policies to ensure the flow and safe storage of medical supplies. The patient relations committee has to strengthen relations between the ministry and patients. It will also have to ask patients for their views on the standard of different medical services and suggest ways of improvement.
