JEDDAH: Medical officials here say that government's budgetary allocation for the sector is set to provide further specialized, therapeutic, and preventive medical services to patients in the Kingdom. There will also be increased access to specialized doctors and high-tech devices. The construction of more hospitals and the expansion of the medical centers will resolve many problems for citizens, including the provision of comprehensive medical tests and the early detection of diseases. Dr. Turki Saleh Al-Shareef, Assistant Administrator of Medical Treatment in Jeddah, said that the budget is focused on supporting existing and planned medical services. “Jeddah will see the completion of a number of substantial projects, including hospitals in north and east Jeddah, the medical tower at the eye hospital, the psychiatric hospital, and the construction of a 100-bed hospital in Al-Leeth, in addition to other medical center projects.” Dr. Faisal Shaheen, the General Administrator of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplants, said the budget allocations are crucial because the Kingdom has seen a rise of chronic diseases. This requires an expansion of hospitals, medical centers, psychiatric hospitals, maternal hospitals, in addition to diabetic centers, specialized dental clinics, regional laboratories, blood banks, IT projects, and disease control programs. The completion of the “Centers for Primary Health-Care” in the regions of the Kingdom will support the medical services provided by the government. The medical centers will represent the first line of defense in confronting diseases, in particular chronic diseases. The establishment of more primary health-care centers is to ensure further emphasis on a medical system based on prevention, treatment, and medical research. Dr. Noha Dashash, Assistant Medical Administrator of Primary Medical Care, said that the new budget will support a system of medical services in accordance with international standards. New centers will be equipped with all the modern facilities ranging from X-Ray machines to consultant doctors, side by side with consultants in family and community medicine. She emphasized that the new budget will also focus on the expansion of treatment programs for patients with diabetes, blood pressure problems, asthma, and psychiatric problems, depression and anxiety. Dashash explained that there are 80 medical centers in the city, 40 of them inside Jeddah and the same number in the suburbs. The purchase of 11 pieces of land for the establishment of new model medical centers has been approved. Dr. Abdulrahman Kamas, the General Manager of the Environment Department at the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment, said the budget is a turning point in the medical, scientific, and technical fields in the Kingdom, in line with the trend towards knowledge economies. He said it was important to map out all the chronic diseases in the country so that intervention and treatment can be targeted accurately and effectively.
