MoH deploys 2,087 specialists to boost health services

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has hired 2,087 consultant physicians to help boost health services at the country's hospitals, said undersecretary for hospital affairs Dr. Aqeel Al-Ghamdi here yesterday.
Al-Ghamdi said 723 consultant physicians were hired locally, while the remaining 1,364 specialists were recruited from various foreign countries.
He said the consultants are specialists in areas such as kidney transplants, urinary tract diseases, bone surgery, neurosurgery, spinal surgery, treatment of burns, cosmetic surgery, anesthesia, gynecology, heart surgery, dental, and infectious diseases in children and newborns. Others are specialized in ear, nose and throat diseases, endocrinology, diabetes, diseases of the digestive system, liver diseases, radiology and emergency medicine.
He said the doctors were recruited from the United States, Sweden, Australia, Britain, Jordan, Egypt and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, on behalf of the Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, Undersecretary for Healthcare at the MoH, Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Humaidi, opened the fourth annual scientific nutrition education and health indicators program in Riyadh yesterday.
Al-Humaidi said 24 percent of women and 16 percent of men are obese in the Kingdom. He said obesity can lead to heart disease, blocked blood vessels, high blood pressure, diabetes and respiratory diseases. There is a 14 percent incidence of diabetes among all segments of society and 28 percent among those aged over 30.
He said non-communicable diseases have become a major problem in the Kingdom and worldwide. It threatens economic and social growth because it can kill millions of people. Non-communicable diseases account for 60 percent of all deaths worldwide and is expected to continue rising to 73 percent by 2020.
The Saudi government has established the General Directorate of Non-Communicable Diseases to help tackle this growing problem.