King Abdul-Aziz City For Science and Technology (KACST) has achieved, in collaboration with King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center and a number of concerned bodies and sectors, drawing a national strategic plan to develop and boost health and medical research in the Kingdom within a national program that targets fostering health and well-being of Saudi citizens. The strategic plan of health and medical technologies aims to curtailing the diseases' burden and controlling the increasing health care expenses that represent 4% from the gross domestic product in the Kingdom to promote the level of the health status of the Saudi Society through raising the total cost of related research activities that stands at the level of 2% of the gross domestic product to a percentage that keeps pace with the objectives of Science, Technology and Innovation National Plan in this effect. This plan would be attached to the strategic quinquennial plans of the eleven technology programs developed by KACST in collaboration with other concerned bodies and entities and that target in toto localizing and developing strategic technologies that concern the Kingdom to achieve the comprehensive sustainable development and that encompass Water, oil and Gas, Petrochemicals, Nanotechnologies, Biotechnology, Information Technology, Electronics, communications, photonics, Space and Aeronautics Technology, Energy, Advanced materials, Environment as well as Mathematics, Physics, Agriculture and Building and Construction. --MORE
