Riyadh governor opens diabetes center

Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar inaugurated recently the Sheikh Saleh Al-Rajhi Diabetes Center at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH).
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Health Minister Khalid Al-Falih and invited guests from the public and private sectors.
Prince Faisal said that the government is falling short in the medical sector and commended the establishment of the diabetes center which cost SR40 million.
The Riyadh governor noted that the establishment of the center “is timely and it’s an important contribution to the campaign against diabetes.”
A report said that “the prevalence of diabetes in the Kingdom is at an alarming level. Over 25 percent of the adult population is suffering and that figure is expected to more than double by 2030.”
Quoting the World Health Organization (WHO), the report said that Saudi Arabia has the second highest rate of diabetes in the Middle East and is the seventh highest in the world.
Some reports suggest that the Kingdom spends approximately SR30 billion every year on the treatment of diabetes.
Talking on the occasion, Abdul Ilah bin Abbad Al-Tuwairqi, KKESH director general, said: “The center treats patients with diabetic polyneuropathy, which is the simultaneous malfunction of many peripheral nerves throughout the body, in addition to retinal diseases.”
The center depends on well-trained and experienced medical staff at the retina department of the KKESH.
The center is located in a total land area of 6,236 square meters and includes state-of-the-art facilities, examination clinics and two rooms for treatment, a number of operating rooms with beds, research and laboratory facilities, education area and a library for reading, pharmacy and administrative offices, multipurpose hall and a hall for reception and registration, among others.