Khalid Al-Suliman

Okaz

When I saw the name of the Minister of Health on the screen of my phone, I thought the minister was calling me because he wanted to refute what I had said in a recent article about the ministry. In that article, I called upon the ministry to think carefully before implementing the privatization plans for the education and health sectors. I stressed that there was no room for any miscalculated steps or adventures as these two sectors are among the most important and affect the present and future of each and every citizen. However, the minister, Dr. Tawfeeq Al-Rabea, thanked me for the article and even agreed with me that there should be well-calculated and solid plans for privatizing both sectors.

I stressed over the phone that the ministry should not take any adventurous steps in this direction and he stressed that it would not. He said that the ministry was studying the experience of other countries, working on improving public health services, meeting the public demand for such services and overcoming future challenges.

One day before the minister’s phone call, my driver went to the primary healthcare center in our neighborhood after I had convinced him to do so. Usually, housemaids and drivers prefer to go to private polyclinics to get better services. However, the driver was happy that he went to the center because this time he was received by a Saudi doctor who saw him and prescribed his medication. He also received an SMS from the center asking him to pick up the medication at a pharmacy in the neighborhood where he lives.

The minister said the ministry offers free medical consultations at its 937 telephone service center and provides specialists to answer questions and even prescribe certain medications under strict regulations.

Twitter: @K_Alsuliman‬‬‬‬‬‬‬