The Saudi government’s public health care sector provides 80 per cent of medical services in the Kingdom, said Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie while delivering a speech on the third day of the Knowledge Economy Forum in Madinah. He said that one of the major challenges facing the Saudi health sector was the free health care offered to the 3 million Haj and 10 million Umrah pilgrims who visit the Kingdom annually. For instance, many pilgrims suffer from heart problems, which require expensive medical equipment and expert care. He said that once the 97 hospitals, which are currently being built at a cost of SR17 billion, are completed in 2012 the number of hospitals run by the Ministry of Health would reach 350. Al-Jammal identified poor investment in human intellectual resources as a major stumbling block in the way of knowledge-based economic cities.
FREE HEALTH CARE FOR HAJ PILGRIMS
The Saudi government’s public health care sector provides 80 per cent of medical services in the Kingdom, said Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie while delivering a speech on the third day of the Knowledge Economy Forum in Madinah.
