There are only a few months left before the disabled and elderly sectors of the Ministry of Social Affairs undergo privatization. Minister of Social Affairs Dr. Yusuf Al-Othaimeen said the ministry has already made big strides in the project and has allocated SR5 million for the consultation companies which will conduct the eight- to nine- month-long study. The minister said after the study finishes the ministry will immediately invite businessmen and investors to offer their bids. He also pointed out that the Supreme Economic Council chaired by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, gave the go-ahead to the ministry to privatize these two services. “If it succeeds, this may encourage the ministry to privatize more of the services it renders to beneficiaries,” he said. However, he denied rumors that the ministry has changed the name of its strategy to the National Strategy for Social Development. Regarding the ministry's efforts to update the strategy to absorb changes in the standard of living, he said “most of the Royal Decrees made in favor of the needy are derived from this strategy.”
