Via the Saudi Gazette: Center to safeguard public health opened.
The Ministry of Health inaugurated on Sunday a command and control center as a new and permanent unit to safeguard public health and raise the level of vigilance against any health challenges.
The center will take speedy preemptive measures against any future challenges related to public health in the Kingdom, like coronavirus, through continuous coordination and monitoring.
The center, which is under direct supervision of the Minister of Health, has been established in cooperation with international organizations and agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and centers for disease control and prevention. It will have 11 departments, each one specializing in dealing with specific subjects, which include government coordination, medical consultancy council, lab and diagnostic support, support for combating epidemics and contagion, curative operations, data analysis etc.
Acting Minister of Health Adel Fakeih said: “The new center will help us deal with current challenges more effectively. It will also contribute to raising the levels of general vigilance and upgrading the level of healthcare quality in the Kingdom.”
Two more die of MERS
The ministry announced on Sunday two more deaths from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) caused by coronavirus. A 55-year-old man in a government hospital in Riyadh and 45-year old woman in a government hospital in Jeddah were the latest MERS fatalities.
A 56-year old man suffering from diabetes and hypertension has been kept in isolation at home in Makkah.
As soon as this new agency is online, I will link to it and follow it on Twitter.
