The local Security Forces Hospital (SFH) has won a prestigious award for its international partnership in healthcare and for its use of highly innovative tele-medicine services offered by WorldCare Saudi Arabia. The award for the "Best Use of International Healthcare Partnership was presented to Dr. Adnan B. Mofti, deputy director general of the Security Forces Hospital by Tarik Abdulaziz Al-Khereiji, executive manager of WorldCare Saudi Arabia on behalf of the Arab Health Exhibition and Congress 2005, which concluded in Dubai recently. Presenting the award, Al-Khereiji said that "the award given to the Security Forces Hospital is a reflection of the many exciting developments in Saudi Arabia healthcare sector in general." He told Arab News that the award was given in recognition of the hospital's significant contribution to the advancement of quality healthcare and of its use of telemedicine and WorldCare technology. "The telemedicine link has ensured delivery of American experience in Saudi Arabia online," said Al-Khereiji, adding that the SFH has been extremely innovative in its delivery of healthcare to its patients because it has utilized the e-health (telemedicine) technology to provide state-of-the-art medical care for serious and complex cases. SFH was among the first medical institutions in the region to conceptualize the use of a telemedicine link through WorldCare as early as 1994. He said that over the past 10 years, SFH has facilitated expert second opinion consultations for over 5,371 SFH patients (17,982 images) providing e-access to America's best academic medical centers for the diagnosis and treatment of serious and complex disease without the hardship and cost of travel. "SFH feels that its pioneering efforts with WorldCare and hence the relationship it has enjoyed with the member institutions of the WorldCare consortium has yielded significant value in terms of securing optimal outcomes in the treatment of serious cases," he added. "For the past 10 years, SFH has worked closely with WorldCare Saudi Arabia (WCSA) to provide timely tele-radiology and patient management consultations to its professional staff and hence the military forces and their families cared for at SFH," said Al-Khereiji. These e-consultations have in majority of the cases, confirmed and supported the locally rendered diagnosis and treatment plan. "And such e-consultation program has made the diagnosis and treatment more accurate than ever," he added.
