Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said yesterday that his ministry would allocate an enhanced budget next year for procuring private sector health care services in the Kingdom.
The minister made this statement when he was opening the 17th branch of the Magrabi Hospital yesterday in Riyadh.
“The private sector plays a predominant role in providing health care services in the Kingdom, and the government cooperates with the sector to offer the best health care services to the people in the Kingdom,” Al-Rabeeah said, adding that his ministry utilizes the services of the private sector in areas such as treatment of emergency cases and making use of its intensive care units.
Last year, he recalled that the ministry allocated SR 300 million for this purpose, and it would be increased to SR 500 million next year.
Following the formal inauguration, Al-Rabeeah was taken on a tour of the new hospital complex by its Managing Director Mutassim Alireza.
Magrabi Group has 26 hospitals including 17 in the Kingdom. Its overseas branches are in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Yemen and Egypt.
Alireza said the new complex, which is the second Magrabi hospital in the capital, was built at a cost of SR 150 million on an area of 25,000 sq. m. It consists of eight floors in addition to four floors underground allocated for car park.
It also has five operating theaters and 70 clinics for the detection and screening of all types of eye, ear, nose, throat and dental diseases. The rooms also have luxury suites for the convenience of the patients as well as for the visitors, Alireza said.
The managing director said the new facility is one of the largest specialized hospitals in the Middle East and Africa and includes all sub-disciplines in the field of eye, ear, nose and throat and teeth.
“The idea of establishing hospitals and surgery centers to cover the different cities in the region came about due to the continuous requests of our patients who experienced our specialized services, as far back as 50 years ago, when the first Magrabi Hospital was established in south Jeddah.”
In 1997, a merger took place between Magrabi Hospitals and Centers and AMI Saudi Arabia Ltd., a leading hospital management company.
“We manage by applying the standards set by the Joint Commission International (JCI). We believe that by applying the quality management program at Magrabi Hospitals and Centers, we will be able to consistently provide the highest standards of health care and patient safety to our patients throughout our branches during and after the course of treatment.”
The hospital conducts a weekly lecture program in the Kingdom in coordination with the Institute Bascom Palmer American eyes for ophthalmologists in the United States.
Private sector plays key role in providing health care services
