There will be greater flexibility in granting visas to foreigners coming to the Kingdom for medical treatment, Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), announced yesterday. "We have to make use of the Hajj and Umrah seasons to attract more people for treatment at our hospitals," he told reporters after signing an agreement with Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie at King Fahd Medical City. Prince Sultan said efforts were under way to develop a health tourism strategy within six months. The strategy will cover the Kingdom's medical facilities and health services as well as the ways and means to attract tourists for treatment. "Many foreign pilgrims now go to neighboring countries for treatment after performing their rituals," he pointed out. The health minister spoke of another side of the story. He said Saudis were spending more than SR300 million annually in medical treatment in Arab countries. "Some Gulf hospitals try to win over qualified Saudi medical hands to work for them," Arab News quoted the Health Minister as saying.
