Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, has issued directives to establish units to look after the affairs of retirees in all the regions and all sectors affiliated to the Ministry of Interior as per the decision of the Higher Committee for Administrative Reforms. In line with the directive, Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Majed Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Madina Region, issued instructions to create a unit for the affairs of retirees at the emirate to be linked to the Personnel Department. Meanwhile, Bidah Al-Qahtani, board member of the Saudi Retirees Association (SRA) and former president of the Eastern Province Retirees Association, told the Saudi Gazette that many retirees and pensioners were not aware that there is an organization for retired citizens that could support them during their times of need. “This is the sad truth,” he said. “The national association and all the regional retirees' organizations will launch a drive after this Ramadan to register all retirees,” Al-Qahtani said. “In our estimates, there are over 600,000 retirees and pensioners and some 800,000 widows and children of retirees. The national association would like to reach them and enter their names in our membership list,” he said. As of now there are only about 15,000 officially registered retirees in the Kingdom as far as the SRA is concerned, including some 3,000 in the Eastern Province, according to Al
