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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, also known as KSrelief, on Thursday signed three agreements with the International War and Disaster Victims Protection Association for the implementation of health projects in Somalia and Yemen, and for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
The first agreement includes plans for a dialysis center at Banadir Hospital in the Somali capital Mogadishu, which will benefit 280 people. It will provide specialized, life-saving services for patients suffering from renal failure. It will also help to improve the overall level of health services and infrastructure in Somalia.
The second agreement relates to the implementation of the seventh phase of a prosthetics and rehabilitation center in Marib province in Yemen, which will benefit 3,649 individuals. It aims to provide prosthetic limbs for people with special needs, functional and physical rehabilitation services for people with prosthetic limbs, and outpatient care and community services. It will also help to enhance the professional and scientific capabilities of medical and technical staff, prepare them to deal with specific types of cases, and limit the migration of specialized medical and technical cadres.
The third agreement is for the third phase of a project to develop healthcare services for Syrian refugees and the host community in the town of Arsal in the Lebanese governorate of Baalbek. It will benefit 75,000 people.
It aims to provide healthcare services, psychosocial, social and nutritional support, as well as participating in routine vaccination campaigns and providing free medications for Syrian refugees and Lebanese citizens.
The project will also help to develop the national health information system and data management, support existing national programs, and improve the efficiency of monitoring and referrals. It will participate in official campaigns to raise awareness of health and nutritional matters, promote personal and public hygiene, limit the spread of epidemic, contagious and communicable diseases, and measure the weight and height of children to help identify youngsters who need nutritional support.
The project will provide psychological support to children, in particular those with motor or sensory disabilities, and help them to access specialized centers where they can obtain the medical help and support they require.
The projects reflect the desire of Saudi Arabia, as represented by KSrelief, to support Syrian refugees in Lebanon and improve their living conditions, in keeping with the Kingdom’s humanitarian efforts for all countries and peoples in need.
RIYADH: Despite the many investments and commercial opportunities provided by the Saudi government to entrepreneurs and owners of small and micro enterprises, industry experts have stressed the need to move forward in key areas.
During a recent virtual seminar, entrepreneurship and finance specialists wishing to break into the world of commerce urged systematic investment in various Saudi business sectors and agreed on the importance of being able to reach target groups.
Addressing delegates at Tuesday’s seminar, organized by the Misk foundation, Faisal Al-Maghlooth, director general of the Made in Saudi program, said: “In the coming period, we aim to work with a number of partners from government agencies to ensure expansion in more than one sector, in which micro, small, and medium enterprises, and entrepreneurship are an insignificant part of target groups in the program.”
He noted that the Made in Saudi program offered many benefits to businesses. “Today it includes more than 1,400 registered companies and more than 6,000 registered products for 326 companies,” he added.
The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources launched the Made in Saudi program in March last year as part of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program.
Made in Saudi seeks to market national goods and services to become the preferred option locally and globally, in cooperation with a group of partners from the public and private sectors. It aims to stimulate national industries and encourage consumers to purchase local goods, while developing and promoting the Kingdom’s exports to global markets.
Al-Maghlooth told seminar attendees: “Our role in the program is to promote the product and focus on consumers and increase the presence of Saudi products.”
He pointed out that the Made in Saudi program sought to enhance the attractiveness of investment in small and medium enterprises and the industrial sector in particular.
Ibraheem Alzuhaimeel, founder and chief executive officer of Oceanx, said that self-employment created financial sustainability and provided promising job opportunities, and that the extent of added value to the market was a key factor in starting any investment business.
He added that the administrative procedures and government facilities in Saudi Arabia for the investment sector were among the best in the world, advising those interested in starting a business to have a “knowledge guide” for commercial activity.
He noted that government support for the business sector included not only finance but also money and knowledge through training courses and workshops for new entrepreneurs.
Alzuhaimeel said: “The accountant will be one of the important parts of the work team with the expansion of the activity of small companies to assess the level of profitability after a year of activity.”
Moroccan Younes Mustafa Gharbi recited his way to first place and bagged $1.33 million in prize money during the final of Saudi Arabia’s premier Qur’an contest on Wednesday.
Britain’s Mohammed Ayoub Asif came second, winning $533k. Bahrain’s Mohammed Mujahid secured third spot, taking home $267k, while Iran’s Sayed Jassem Mousavi was fourth and received $133k.
The competition, “Otr Elkalam” (“Scent of Speech”), kicked off on the first day of the fasting month of Ramadan and was broadcast on Al-Saudiya TV channel.
In the athan (call to prayer) competition, Turkey’s Muhsin Kara and Albijan Celik secured first and second places, winning $533K and $267k, respectively.
The Saudi pair of Abdulrahman bin Adel and Anas Al-Rahili, came third and fourth, bagging $133k and $66,666, respectively.
Turki Al-Sheikh, head of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, crowned the first-place winners, and said the event would return next year with a new set of competitors from around the world. He also thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their unlimited support for the authority.
More than 40,000 participants from 80 countries applied to participate in the qualifying stage of the competition that started in 2019. Thirty-six contestants qualified for the final stages — 18 participants for each contest — hoping to be recognized as the best in their specialty and looking for a chance to share the $3.2 million combined prize money.
The prestigious competition is notable for its precise judging criteria, with a set of distinguished jurors. The 13-member judging panel included muezzins from the Two Holy Mosques, key Qur’an reciters from around the globe, and famous international competition assessors.
RIYADH: The Philippines’ Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dr. Adnan Alonto met recently with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health Fahad Al-Jalajel at his office in Riyadh to discuss several issues of common interest, and various ways to enhance health cooperation between the two countries.
They talked about the possibility of further enhancing cooperation between the Philippines and the Kingdom in the medical profession including on research and development.
Filipinos work across the Kingdom in the medical sector mostly as nurses.
After the meeting, Alonto toured Seha Virtual Hospital, where he was briefed on its services.
The Saudi Health Ministry launched the Kingdom’s first virtual hospital on Feb. 28 as part of ongoing efforts to digitize the healthcare sector.
With a growing live network of 130 connected hospitals, SVH is the largest of its kind in the world. The only other virtual hospital to rival it is in the US, with 43 connected hospitals.
Patients of SVH do not need to travel to different parts of the Kingdom to be seen by specialized physicians, nor are they limited by 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. clinical hours.
Showcasing its expertise in the holy month of Ramadan, a specialist team from the facility saved the life of an elderly woman who suffered a stroke inside the Grand Mosque in Makkah while performing Umrah.
The 62-year-old woman was transferred by local paramedics to an emergency center inside the Grand Mosque after feeling weak, experiencing flaccid facial muscles, and gradually losing consciousness.
She was immediately transferred to the nearby Ajyad Emergency Hospital, where a CT scan was undertaken that confirmed the initial diagnosis. She was examined by the SVH’s neurologist and stroke consultants and then transferred to the nearby King Abdullah Medical City for treatment.
Unlike simple video calls with doctors, the SVH allows patients to visit their local hospital and attend a real-time live video clinical session with top specialists from across the Kingdom.
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia confirmed two new COVID-19-related deaths on Wednesday, raising the total number of fatalities to 9,074.
Saudi health authorities confirmed 146 new cases in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 752,994 people have now contracted the disease. Of the new infections, 37 were recorded in Jeddah, 27 in Riyadh, 18 in Madinah, 18 in Makkah and 14 in Taif. Several other cities recorded fewer than 10 new cases each.
The Ministry of Health said that of the current cases, 59 people were in critical condition.
The ministry also announced that 231 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 739,767.
The ministry said that 4,153 COVID-19 cases were still active.
JEDDAH: The King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, also known as Mawhiba, has won a gold medal at the Middle East and North Africa Stevie Awards for its response to COVID-19.
This category honors institutions and companies that dealt positively and effectively with the pandemic through their community outreach services.
Mawhiba Secretary-General Saud Al-Mathami thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their support, which he said allowed the organization to identify and develop the skills of talented people across the globe.
Al-Mathami said the generous support from the Saudi leadership resulted in Mawhiba being able to act as a beacon for those seeing excellence, particularly in its use of technology.
Mawhiba provides programs to develop the skills of talented youth in culture, science, and education.
During the pandemic, the organization had continued its digital transformation to support the needs of students and participants.
In 2020, the institution provided services to over 10,000 students, and more than 11,000 in 2021.
Mawhiba has also organized training programs for 5,000 educators as part of its professional development program, so that they can teach the courses offered by the organization.
Part of the organization’s achievements during the pandemic was its participation in several international scientific competitions.
Al-Mathami said its students won 57 medals in 2020 and 52 medals in 2021, while also winning 96 prizes in the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity last year, and eight international awards in the International Science and Engineering Fair.
The Stevie Awards was created in 2002 to honor the achievements of organizations and professionals globally. The winners of the Middle East and North Africa region were rated by more than 110 professionals worldwide, serving on six juries.
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