A national strategic plan to develop and boost health and medical research in the Kingdom has been charted by the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in collaboration with the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center and a number of concerned organizations. The national program promotes the health and well-being of Saudi citizens with a strategic plan aimed at curtailing various diseases and checking spiraling health care expenses that represent four percent of the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It also aims to raise the total value of related research activities that currently stands at two percent of GDP to a percentage that keeps pace with the objectives of science, technology and innovation. The plan will be attached to the strategic five-year plans of KACST's 11 technology programs to expand strategic technologies in order to achieve comprehensive sustainable development. This development encompasses water, oil and gas, petrochemicals, nanotechnologies, biotechnology, information technology, electronics, communications, photonics, space and aeronautics technology, energy, advanced materials and environment, as well as mathematics, physics, agriculture and building and construction. The health and medical research strategic plan has been based on the experiences, information and data of users of technology, medical sciences and health care, as well as related bodies, authorities and entities inside the Kingdom. In addition, it plans to benefit from contributions and observations of global specialized institutes. The participating bodies and authorities have agreed to specify a vision for the Saudi Medical and Health Research Program by developing national human potential and expertise. It will also involve the necessary infrastructure to carry out high quality innovative, sustainable and competitive research, as well as sponsoring and facilitating collaborative, creative multi-specialization and multi-disciplinary research. The program will support research in the field of health and medical sciences to promote health and well-being in the Kingdom. The strategic research goals of the plan were set after studying the most common contagious and non-contagious diseases in the Kingdom and estimating their future development. The non-contagious diseases include diabetes, heart disease and circulatory diseases, cancer, allergy and asthma and neuro-diseases, according to the latest report carried by KACST's website. The concerned authorities have suggested establishing a new administrative entity to be called “The National Council for Medical and Health Research”. This council will be in charge of administrative supervision and logistic support for departments and research institutions affiliated to it. Members of this council will be leading international specialist researchers in medical, clinical and biomedical studies, as well as health experts including doctors, dentists and public health experts.
