RIYADH – The Council of Ministers Monday approved a unified board of directors for medical cities and specialist hospitals affiliated to the Ministry of Health. The Cabinet session, chaired by Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, outlined the powers and jurisdiction of the new board, which will have a general secretariat and separate budgetary allocations. Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja said in a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session that the Cabinet took the decision after reviewing minutes number 151 of the Higher Committee for Administrative Organization regarding the draft bylaw to organize the work of the board of directors of medical cities and specialist hospitals. According to the decision, the new board's powers shall be restricted to medical cities and specialist hospitals under the ministry. The board shall be the dominant authority on all issues concerning medical cities and specialist hospitals with regard to conducting their day-to-day affairs and taking all the necessary decisions to realize their goals. However, this shall be in a way not infringing on the powers of the Board of Health Services. Dr. Khoja said that the board shall have a general secretariat that will give organizational, administrative and technical support to the board. There shall be a separate budget for the general secretariat as part of the general budget of the ministry. This budget shall be spent for the functions of the board and its subordinate committees as well as for giving remuneration for the members of the board and its general secretariat in accordance with the financial rules and regulations. There shall also be an executive director general for each medical city and specialist hospital. The director general, appointed by the minister, will be in charge of the administration of the medical city or specialist hospital, Dr. Khoja pointed out. At the outset of the session, the Cabinet expressed its heartfelt condolences on the death of Prince Sattam Bin Abdul Aziz. Dr. Khoja said the Cabinet, while reviewing political developments in the international arena, discussed the Syrian crisis. “The session stressed the significance of unifying the global position on tackling the crisis as well as the need for a regime change in the country. It also called for immediate cessation of hostilities and the shedding of blood, and for reaching a position that would help protect Syria's security, stability and territorial integrity by fulfilling the legitimate aspirations of the people,” he said. The Cabinet also highlighted the outcome of the International Conference on Security, organized in Riyadh earlier this week in collaboration with the United Nations. The Cabinet reemphasized that the fight against terrorism is a joint global responsibility that requires international cooperation so as to safeguard the lives of innocent people as well as to promote global peace and security. On the domestic front, the Cabinet thanked King Abdullah for extending the Foreign Scholarship Program named after him for a third five-year period. Dr. Khoja said the Cabinet endorsed the organization of the Reconciliation Center under the Ministry of Justice after reviewing a report presented in this regard by the minister. The most prominent feature of the organization is applying a religious option in settling disputes through reconciliation and compromise with promoting values of forgiveness and tolerance between members of society. Another feature is easing the burden on courts and reducing the duration of litigation while guaranteeing the right of litigation for all parties concerned in case they wanted to exercise it in the absence of a settlement. The session approved the agreement signed earlier between the Kingdom and Jordan on the transfer of people sentenced to imprisonment. The Cabinet also approved the Kingdom's agreement with the government of the Czech Republic for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax evasion. – SG
