MoH to expand emergency services

The Ministry of Health plans to expand and upgrade its much-needed emergency medical services in the country, said Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, while chairing a meeting of the Health Services Council in Riyadh yesterday.
Emergency medicine (also called emergentology) is a medical specialty where physicians care for patients with acute illnesses or injuries, which require immediate medical attention. While not usually providing long-term or continuing care, emergency medicine physicians diagnose a variety of illnesses and undertake acute interventions to resuscitate and stabilize patients.
Emergency medicine physicians practice in hospital emergency departments, in pre-hospital settings via emergency medical services, and other locations where initial medical treatment has to take place.
The health minister also presented a memento to the former Director General of Medical Services of the Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, Retired Maj. Gen. Qitab Al-Otaibi, for his services to the council over the last seven years.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Dr. Yacoub Al-Mazrou, secretary general of the Health Services Council, said emergency medicine services are reviewed every year to keep abreast of the latest advances in the medical world. He said that such services should be unified in the public and private sectors and standard procedures have to be adopted to offer the best services to patients under the "Patients First" program of the ministry.
The meeting also reviewed its cooperation with leading institutes in the fields of health research, training of national medical personnel and partnerships with global organizations to exchange expertise.
Al-Mazrou said the meeting also discussed the cabinet's decision to prepare a comprehensive mechanism for the organ transplantation program implemented by the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation.
It was decided to widen the organ transplant program in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Al-Rabeeah also announced a list of new appointments yesterday including Abdul Aziz Al-Humaidhi as undersecretary for curative medicine at the ministry. He is a consultant physician (hematology, oncology and growing bone marrow) and holds a degree in medicine and surgery from King Saud University. He has also received a fellowship in internal medicine. He was the executive director of medical affairs at King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh.
The minister relieved Dr. Abdullah Al-Amro from the post of CEO at the King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh, at his request, and replaced him with Mahmoud bin Abdul Jabbar Yamani. Al-Rabeeah thanked Al-Amro for his services to the city.
The minister also extended the contracts of Dr. Nahad Al-Azmi as CEO of Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Medical City on the northern border; and Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Alnami as CEO of King Faisal Medical City on the southern border.