of citizens abroad
The Director General of the Ministry of Medical Organizations and Health Attachés at the Ministry, Dr. Mishaal Abdullah Al-Mishaal, revealed that the number of patients transferred to medical treatment abroad reached (4723) cases in 1434 AH, of which (2781) were through the Higher Medical Commission, and the rest by sublime treatment orders Where they received medical care in hospitals in the United States of America, Britain, Germany and China.
Dr. Al-Mishaal added, during a press conference held yesterday at the Ministry’s Bureau, that the total cost of treating patients referred by the Ministry of Health for treatment abroad exceeded one billion riyals in the past year, noting that there is no higher ceiling for any disease condition for any citizen who has been transferred for treatment abroad This reflects the concern of the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques - may God protect him - for its citizens and their concern for their safety and the provision of health care for them.
Dr. Al-Mishaal attributed the delay in sending some patients for treatment abroad due to the difficulty in obtaining appointments from the medical centers treated abroad, due to the scarcity of some specialties that the patient sends to treat their diseases, and the lack of centers that treat them, pointing out that all the centers that are available It includes treating the patient, and whoever responds quickly is sent to the patient.
He stressed that the completion of the approval procedures for the travel of the patient, whose medical reports are complete with x-rays and other accompanying reports, passports and other documents does not exceed ten days, but there is a delay in obtaining medical medical appointments in the advanced centers. Also, patients who are issued a decision for treatment abroad need an entry visa for these countries that will be treated, and most of the embassies of these countries require the granting of the visa the presence and approval of the hospital to treat the patient, indicating that the General Medical Authority in the region gives the patient or his relatives letters to the concerned embassies showing where Hospital appointment This is to end visa procedures as soon as possible, in addition to the Ministry of Health providing insurance for reference and petty cash for the patient, his companions or companions.
Dr. Al-Mashaal stated that the ministry has 18 general medical bodies in various regions of the Kingdom and 3 health attachés in America, Germany and Britain, confirming the ministry''s commitment to providing health services and providing medical care for those in need, in accordance with the medical norms, regulations and regulations used in treating sick conditions, whether inside or outside the Kingdom And he stressed that the ministry operates according to a scientific mechanism and methodology that achieves justice and equality among the people of the country. Al-Faisal is the state of health and purely medical opinion, noting at the same time that the ministry appreciates the patient''s condition and makes every effort to achieve his desire for treatment.
He added that the ministry does not allow sending patients to research centers that give treatments that are not medically recognized or under trial and have not been scientifically proven useful, such as stem cell therapy and others, and that the ministry has a black list of some hospitals and medical centers that have been proven tampering or indulgent or overrated in the treatment Patients referred to it, noting that the United States of America accounts for the lion''s share, followed by Germany and Britain and China, where tumors come at the forefront of the diseases that patients are sent for treatment abroad, followed by heart diseases, implants, bones and marrow.
And on what is published in the media and social networks about requests for treatment for medical conditions abroad, Dr. Al-Meshaal explained the details of the approved mechanism for dealing with medical conditions whose owners wish to be treated outside the Kingdom or outside, and he explained that referring patients to treatment outside the Kingdom is based on the high orders Decent, or by a decision from the Supreme Medical Authority made up of Saudi consultants from various governmental health sectors, namely: (Medical services at the Ministry of Defense, health affairs at the Ministry of National Guard, medical services at the Ministry of Interior, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, a For university hospitals, the Ministry of Health).
He added that the consultants members of the Higher Medical Commission are studying the health condition of the patient, the availability of treatment for the situation inside the Kingdom or not, and the extent of the patient''s need and benefit from sending him for treatment abroad, stressing that the decision is purely medical and based on the patient''s health condition, and the opportunities for treatment and recovery, God willing.
He pointed out that in the event that the decision to send the patient out of the Kingdom is issued, the Ministry of Health through health attachés outside the Kingdom in coordination with medical centers and hospitals abroad, informing the date of sending the patient, and this requires the approval of a patient appointment from the referred hospital, and that the appointment be with the doctor Required who will handle the condition, this takes some time Difficult to book immediate appointments with the doctor required to treat the condition Because these doctors are related to pre-scheduled appointments, Being a distinguished physician pre-occupied schedules, or a rare specialty required is only available in a few international hospitals.
And whether the patient''s health condition is dangerous and requires special care, and requires the transfer of the patient with a medical evacuation, Dr. Al-Mishaal emphasized that "the situation in this case is more difficult for internationally recognized medical regulatory reasons, and it becomes more difficult to obtain acceptance and availability of a bed for these cases."
