Data center to link regional health directorates

The newly opened Data Center at the Ministry of Health will link 22 regional health directorates in the Kingdom, 166 hospitals and more than 40 hospital management centers both inside and outside the country. the ultimate goal is to make communication among government agencies and health centers more efficient in order to provide better services to the public and to government workers.
The Saudi Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, opened the Center on Wednesday.
“The Ministry of Health has taken a major step in the development of information technology, facilitating the concept of e-government in dealing with other governmental bodies throughout the Kingdom,” Al-Rabeeah said.
He added that the data center is furnished with the state-of-the art equipment and manned by skilled professionals who can handle all situations in Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
Undersecretary for the Planning and Economics of Health, Dr. Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Yemeni, said the opening of the center is an important step taken toward create a digital environment in the ministry to facilitate e-government programs envisaged by the Kingdom. He said that it would further provide the latest electronic services for employees as well as for citizens in health services efficiently.
“It will be the epicenter of all electronic services rendered by the MOH,” Al-Yemeni said .
According to its own strategic plan, Al-Yemeni said the Information and Communication Technology Department is unifying health-related electronic transactions.
“The department is currently implementing approximately 100 large-scale technical projects within the framework of the e-Health National Project,” he said.
The goal of the e-health National Project is to develop health care services in the Kingdom to meet the highest possible standards in order to develop a health system that monitors and supports the patient’s health according to the e-health system’s stringent criteria.
The e-Health National Strategy is based on four main pillars. They include the mandate for the improvement of services to provide better patient care, to establish effective connectivity between all MOH hospitals, linking them to a national database, to facilitate patient referrals and to promote Performance Measurement Program.
“The Ministry is fortunate to have a highly experienced cadre of professionals to carry out its projects. We are open to all suggestions about ways in which we can further improve our services,” Al-Yemeni concluded.