The Ministry of Health plans to build 129 warehouses at different locations across the Kingdom for storing medicines, according to Deputy Health Minister for Logistics Dr. Salah Al-Mazroua. “The majority of these warehouses will be located in remote cities and towns, which appear to be undersupplied according to ministry surveys,” he said. “The warehouses will be run electronically using a state-of-the-art software to ensure effective distribution of medicines and to avoid reliance on the central warehouse in the event of any supply shortage in those remote cities and towns.” Al-Mazroua said the move comes in line with the ministry's patients-first policy, which is aimed at providing the best possible care to the satisfaction of the patients and their families. In addition, the health directorates at different regions have been given the mandate to directly purchase medicines that are not available at their warehouses in emergencies, Al-Mazroua pointed out. The ministry recently issued a directory of all approved drugs in the Kingdom, which is distributed to all healthcare facilities in the country and is posted on the ministry's website at www.moh.gov.sa/en/Publications/Pages/Publications. Al-Mazroua said the directory will be regularly updated by a specialized committee stationed at the ministry's headquarters. __
