The authority over medical schools affiliated with the Ministry of Health is in its final stages to be transferred to the Ministry of Higher Education, said spokesman of the Ministry of Health Dr. Khaled Bin Mohammad Marghalani. “The procedures of the handover are being finalized,” he confirmed. Dr. Marghalani said the decision has been based on thorough recommendations from a committee composed of members from the Ministries of Health, Higher Education, Finance and Civil Service, in addition to members from the Secretariat of the Ministerial Committee for Administrative Organization. He said that 50 medical schools will be handed over to the Ministry of Higher Education, including 17 schools for men, 33 for women. The agreement between the two ministries stated the transfer of the services of all 2,503 current employees in the 50 medical schools to the Ministry of Higher Education, he said. And with the employees comes more money and assets. He said the transfer would come with allocations allotted for these including buildings, lands and grant. “It was a wise decision towards the development and improvement of the two ministries academic and administrative performance,” he said. He said it was initiated by Minister of Health Dr. Hamad Al-Mane'a and accepted by Minister of Higher Education Dr. Khaled Al-Anqari. – Okaz __