A strong delegation representing the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH), lead by Mohammed R Al Yemeni, PhD, Deputy Minister for Planning & Health Economics, will join other prominent delegates and speakers from around the region and beyond at the two-day HIMSS Middle East Conference, which starts today (May 20) at the Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi. Although still in its formative years, the Saudi Arabian MOH is now making great strides toward an integrated health information service and the enormous benefits it brings in terms of reduced costs and superior healthcare. Al Yemeni will deliver a presentation about the strategic direction and plans for the Saudi national healthcare system and ehealth programme, which, primarily in terms of business goals and requirements, falls into four main categories: Care for Patients, Connecting Providers, Measuring Progress-Performance Management, and Transforming Healthcare. The integrated Saudi national health information system (HIS) is considered unique in the region based on the massive implementation size and complexity of deployment as its plan to cover five core health zones, 13 health regions and will serve approximately 300 hospitals, 3000 primary healthcare centers (PHCs) and in total 32,000 physicians, 75,000 nurses and 40,000 allied health users. King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center will be honored for pioneering work on electronic medical records. Professor Qasim Alqasabi, CEO, King Faisal Specialist Hospital, will accept the internationally recognized Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) award on behalf of the hospital, which was validated at Stage 6-which makes it among the top 5 percent of hospitals in the HIMSS programme, globally. Alqasabi said "as the first recipient of this prestigious accolade in the region, the hospital has demonstrated once again its constant focus on electronic health records to enhance still further the quality of care and clinical outcomes for our patients."
