IN PRESENCE OF PRINCE ABDULAZIZ BIN AHMED BIN ABDULAZIZ, CHAIRMAN OF SAUDI OPHTHALMOLOGY SOCIETY, THE MINISTER OF HEALTH DR. HAMAD BIN ABDULLAH AL-MANEA' INAUGURATED HERE TODAY THE SOCIETY'S ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC 19TH MEETING. A SPEECH CEREMONY WAS HELD ON THIS OCCASION. IN HIS SPEECH, PRINCE ABDULAZIZ BIN AHMED POINTED OUT THAT THE MEETING IS JOINTLY HELD BETWEEN THE SOCIETY AND KING KHALID OPHTHALMOLOGY HOSPITAL ORGANIZED IN COOPERATION WITH FACULTY OF MEDICINE, AN AFFILIATE OF KING SAUD UNIVERSITY, NOTING THAT MORE THAN 1000 PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEETING CAME FROM 16 COUNTRIES. ADDRESSING THE CEREMONY, DR. AL-MANEA' COMMENDED THE EFFORTS EXERTED BY THE PRINCE AT LOCAL, REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ARENAS TO COMBAT BLINDNESS. HE ALSO PRAISED THE GOVERNMENT FOR PROVIDING ALL SERVICES PARTICULARLY HEALTH SERVICES FOR CITIZENS AND EXPATRIATES. THEN THE PRINCE AND THE MINISTER COSIGNED DOCUMENTS OF NATIONAL PLAN FOR COMBATING BLINDNESS IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA.