The High Medical Commission (HMC) at the Ministry of Health recently gave the nod for treatment of 44 patients abroad, local media, quoting an official of the Ministry of Health, said.

Commission head Dr. Mishal Abdullah Al-Mishal said the patients will be sent to the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Singapore, France, and other countries, for treatment.

Germany, with 18 cases, accounts for the highest number of patients followed by the US (10 cases), Britain and Jordan (four cases each), France and Pakistan (two cases each), and Singapore, Egypt, Austria, Switzerland, and the Philippines (one case each), he said.

The commission also approved the extension of treatment for 26 patients in the US and six in Germany, he said.

Another 43 cases were being referred to China, the US, and Germany to determine the availability of treatment there. Meanwhile, 23 cases were referred to the Kingdom’s hospitals, he said.

He said there was no maximum ceiling in terms of treatment costs for any case referred to foreign countries. This, he said, is a goodwill gesture extended by the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to citizens keeping in mind their health concerns.

It may be recalled that the Council of Ministers approved the allocation of SR600 a day for Saudis receiving medical treatment abroad and SR300 for their companions. Those receiving treatment in the country get SR300 a day.