JEDDAH, 2 September 2007 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has approved a new scholarship program under which 1,000 Saudi doctors and medical technicians would be sent abroad for higher studies and training, Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie announced yesterday.
Al-Manie thanked the king for approving the proposal which is aimed at further improving health services across the Kingdom by enhancing the skills and capabilities of medical staff.
The ministry’s annual budget allocation for scholarships will be increased for sending more medical staff to advanced countries for higher studies and training.
The Health Ministry has so far sent 510 medical staff including 66 women from different parts of the Kingdom this year to specialize in areas required by the health sector. They have been distributed in 15 countries including the US, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, Austria, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Holland and Egypt. It also sent 1,058 doctors to universities within the Kingdom.
Earlier this year, King Abdullah allocated SR10 billion for a major scholarship program named after him to support more than 18,000 Saudis studying at American, European and Asian universities. He also agreed to increase the remunerations paid to the family of a scholarship winner.
The program will now cover four children instead of two and the third and fourth child will get SR10,000 each. The state will also pay for the students’ entry visas. King Abdullah earlier approved a 15 percent rise in monthly stipends given to Saudi students who go abroad for higher studies. Measures have also been taken to solve the problem faced by some students as a result of exchange rate fluctuations.
