RIYADH, 14 September 2004 — The Ministry of Health is planning to build 2,000 health centers in the Kingdom following the allocation of SR41 billion for health, welfare, education and development projects from this year’s budget surplus.
Giving this information to Arab News, Dr. Mohammad Ba-Sulaiman, supervisor general of health centers department in the ministry, said a contract for the construction of 150 health centers has already been awarded to Saudi Oger. He did not mention the contract value or the total allocation for health centers.
According to Ba-Sulaiman, the construction has become necessary since nearly 80 percent of the health centers are operating out of rented buildings that are neither properly furnished nor equipped.
He said the project would be taken up in phases, beginning with the first batch of 150 centers this year. “Next year we are planning to build 250 more centers in line with our priorities.”
He pointed out that the ministry has divided primary health centers (PHC) into three categories — A, B and C — depending on the population of the areas.
Category A would cater for areas with a population of 15,000 to 25,000, while Category B would serve a population of 5,000 to 15,000.
Areas inhabited by less than 5,000 people would be served by PHCs in category C.
Asked about the type of health services to be offered by these centers, he said that in addition to the general health clinics, they will also provide pediatric, dental and other community health services. X-ray, pharmacy, vaccination and prenatal care would be extended free of charge.
Dr. Ba-Sulaiman said the ministry’s plan is to offer various types of community health services instead of focusing on primary health care. Focus will be services on both preventive and curative medicine.
In addition, the ministry will mount an awareness campaign through schools to create health consciousness among children.
On the manpower requirements for the health centers, Dr. Ba-Sulaiman said the ministry would be recruiting all categories of medical personnel. Other things being equal, preference will be given to Arabic speakers. “This does not mean that we’ll bring manpower only from Arab countries. Our recruitment team will also visit countries in southeast and south Asia to hire experienced manpower.”
Meanwhile, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan (CPSP) has announced that, in collaboration with the Saudi Council of Health Specialties (SCHS), it will conduct examinations for candidates for all subjects for the Fellow of College of Physicians and Surgeons (FCPS) on Nov. 30.
In order to be eligible for FCPS examination, the candidate should have an MBBS or BDS degree certificate or equivalent qualification recognized by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.
