RIYADH: Prince Khaled bin Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation for military affairs, on Monday stressed the importance of the role played by drug companies in Saudi society as well as in other countries.
He was addressing the two-day Ministry of Defense and Aviation Conference at the King Faisal Hall in the Riyadh Inter-Continental Hotel, which was focusing on medical services. Prince Khaled said that the event aims to maintain and provide good health to residents in the Kingdom. “This event takes place because of your continuous research. In fact, it has become a landmark in the medical field because of your untiring efforts and your keenness to do what is best for health and for humanity,” he told participants, which included scientists, doctors, medical representatives, and delegates from the GCC countries as well as the Middle East.
He added that he was particularly interested in the conference as it also focused on the health and well-being of Saudi soldiers.
He cited the example of Saudi soldiers who were involved in defending the Kingdom’s borders in the south against infiltrators in November last year.
“These soldiers risked life and limb to safeguard the border of the Kingdom,” he said. Over 100 died in the fighting.
Prince Khaled also emphasized the importance of conducting more research into nanotechnology, claiming it would play an important role in the future.
“If and when it’s available to us, we should take advantage of it. Nanotechnology is revolutionary. It can provide us with an alternative cure for various ailments instead of the antibiotics that we are using at present,” he said.
He added that nanotechnology could help treat obesity and diabetes. “These are two silent killers not only in the Kingdom but also everywhere else. But rather than tapping into nanotechnology products when they are already available, I urge one and all to observe and practice a healthy lifestyle,” he said.
Prince Khaled thanked the companies behind the conference, which includes pharmaceuticals company Pfizer as the main sponsor. The company also received an award for supporting the event over the years.
Other sponsors include Roche, Cigalah Group, Astra Zeneca, Riyadh Pharma, GSK, NUPCO, Saudi Airlines, Saudi Export Company-Lilly and Abdulrahman Al-Gosaibi Co.
