Ain-Al-Yaqeen - July 9, 2004

		July 9, 2004

SULTAN IBN ABDUL-AZIZ AL-SAUD'S CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.
IT IS TEN YEARS OLD.
IT HAS ACHIEVED ITS OBJECTIVES IN RECORD TIME.
A SPECIAL BRANCH FOR PROVIDING MEDICAL SERVICES TO WOMEN AT SULTAN IBN ABDUL-AZIZ CITY FOR HUMAN SERVICES WHICH IS EQUIPPED WITH THE MOST MODERN TECHNOLOGICAL APPLIANCES.

About ten years ago, Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, established "Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud Charitable Foundation." Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz had the clear vision of making the Institute a charitable edifice that will be a pioneer in the provision of humane, charitable and social services, and that will effectively participate in the serving of the Saudi civil society with emphasis on a human perspective.

Prince Sultan stated that the Institute's mission is "helping people help themselves," and he specified the Institute's six basic goals, which are:
1- Providing the members of the Saudi society with social, medical and rehabilitation services.
2- Support of distinguished researchers in the field of human services.
3- Creating the opportunity to benefit from modern technological developments through the establishment of projects that will study current scientific innovations.
4- Helping specialists and researchers in both the public and private sectors to obtain the modern information they need and to help them discover the sources of this information worldwide.
5- Cooperation with universities and research centers within and outside the Kingdom for the purpose of spreading knowledge through the modern means of communication.
6- Cooperation with the international hospitals and research centers and connecting them with the Kingdom's hospitals through the advanced means of medical communication.

The realization of the mission and goals requires speed in making decisions and precision in their implementation. That is why Prince Sultan determined to be the supreme president of the Institute as well as the President of its board of trustees which is made up of all his eleven sons and which mainly acts as a higher consultative body having the specific task of studying the means of achieving the Institute's goals and developing the strategies, plans and programs which insure the accomplishment of this goal.

Within a significantly short period of ten years, the vision of Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz became a reality in the various edifices having the main task of serving the Saudi individual, especially in the field of medical care and treatment in addition to other vital services.

Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz City for Human Services was established about two years ago. It is the biggest medical center specialized in providing all the services related to medical care. During a short visit to "Prince Sultan's City", we were received by the General Director, Dr. Majed Abdalla Al-Qasabi, who explained to us the institute's functions and goals. We also met and talked to some of the female employees of the special branch for women. One of these employees was Mrs. Mouda Al-Wawi who is the director of computer Applications. She graduated from King Saud University, the Department of Programming in the college of Computer Science.

Mrs. Al-Wawi told us about the situation in the "City" and the constructive cooperation between the workers and the Administration. She also talked about the workers' warm feelings toward the patients and about doing their best in providing patients with assistance and medical care. She said that she was proud of the capacities of the Saudi women and of her valuable participation in elevating the levels of medical service in the Kingdom. We had brief talks with the following women at the Women's branch of the "City."

1- Aziza Al-Musnid, is the Assistant Director in Public Relations and Human Resources Department; she graduated from the department of business administration in King Saud University. She is responsible for all personnel matters from the early phase of interviews and concluding contracts until they leave the "City". This means that she is responsible for one hundred male and female employees including forty five Saudi women. Aziza informed us that women receive the same salaries as men in similar positions, and that there was no distinction at all between males and females in this respect. She also thought that women performed their tasks with a greater degree of commitment and enthusiasm than men.

2 - Fatima Jawdari also works in the Personnel Department. She thought that the reason for the decline of the proportion of Saudi women working in the "City" is the lack of experience although they have the academic requirements. This is why the "City" provides training to some Saudi women prior to their employment, but it still has to refuse some applicants because of the lack of sufficient training facilities at the present. Mrs. Fatima added that the decrease of the proportion of Saudi women is specially evident in the departments of nursing, medical care and health education.

3 - Abeer Hachem Al-Quti, Director of Health Education and Development, has a degree in health and hospital administration. She is responsible for the development and training of both the employees and patients. Abeer said that the purpose of Prince Sultan's City for Human Services is the provision of distinguished medical services. This is why special attention was paid to the training of employees and patients and their families. She added that the Saudi society needed to become aware of our services regarding disability and rehabilitation. We believe that this is of central importance and that is why we are doing out best to bring about this public awareness. Abeer added that the most important problem facing the Saudi woman is the fact the Saudi society does not appreciate the nature of women's work and its importance in building both the homeland and the citizens. Because of this situation, the Saudi woman is facing serious challenges. She added that therefore "we, as women, should be skillful and we should respect ourselves, our society and our work. But, anyway, I thank God that many urban and rural Saudi families have come to respect the working woman, to support and encourage her and to appreciate her contribution to the economic well being of the family.

4 - Reem Ar-Rubdi studied computer science at King Saud University. She is an analyst of electronic systems and feels that her work has made her happy because she is working in the field of her specialization.. she is proud of being a citizen participating in the building and development of her country.

5 - Manal Sultan supervises electronic training and she works at developing the electronic information programs at the "City". She believes that women's work is necessary for the development of a sound society, but she finds that the Saudi woman finds many difficulties in proving her abilities and explaining her role.

6 - Iman Ar-Rasheed said that working helped her in spending time in a beneficial way. She added that although she worked for nine hours, she still had a lot of time for reading.

7 - Shahd Abou-Lisan considered it natural for women to work and unnatural not to. She added that the development of the national economy cannot be realized without the joint efforts of men and women.

The "City" comprises all the advanced medical services, employing the most modern medical appliances and equipments, whether for children or for adults. The "City" also has four hundred beds for patients requiring intensive care under the supervision of a highly experienced medical team.

The program of brain injuries helps patients regain as much as possible of their original abilities. For this purpose, the medical team prepares a plan of action and rehabilitation for each patient after a full evaluation of his case. One of the most important component parts of the treatment is the coordinated physical and psychological therapy program aiming at helping the patient and his family to cope with the new situation.

The rehabilitation program for stroke patients aims at helping the patient regain his mental and physical abilities and limit or minimize the disability resulting from the stroke. There is also a specialized program for helping those who find difficulty in eating or swallowing.

The "City" also has a special program for amputees. Undoubtedly, losing a limb is one of the most painful human experiences. An integrated program of treatment and rehabilitation starts immediately after amputation and continues until the patient receives and artificial limb and returns home.

For spinal chord injuries, there is a continuous rehabilitation care for persons who suffer from various degrees of paralysis resulting from injury to the spinal chord caused by disease or accident. A plan of medical and physical intervention is prepared for each patient in accordance with his particular case.

The "City" also has a special program for disabled children called "The Rehabilitation and Early Intervention Program." The Program offers comprehensive rehabilitation services to handicapped children in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Program involves physical therapy and training in addition to social and recreational services. The Program also aims at enabling the parents to directly participate in the therapy.

The Saudi woman also has her share in the "City" in the program of the "Health Care for Women". This program does not only take care of the woman's physical health, but it also aims at teaching and supporting her without disregarding the requirements of the social traditions and customs.

Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz City for Human Services also has out patient clinics that cover all areas of medical specialties whether relating to rehabilitation or to comprehensive treatment. Below is a list of medical fields covered by the outpatient clinics:
1- Heart diseases
2- Ophthalmology
3- Chronic pains
4- Respiratory diseases
5- Dentistry
6- General surgery
7- Psychiatry
8- Internal diseases
9- Diseases of the endocrine glands
10- Neurology
11- Pediatrics
12- Spinal Column surgery
13- Gynecology
14- Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)
15- Plastic surgery
16- Urology

Prince Sultan's "City" does not restrict its services to Saudi citizens; it also serves expatriate patients. The "City" facilitates the procedures of accepting patients transferred from other hospitals in the Gulf or the Arab countries; the "City" also assumes the responsibility for their treatment and helps them in getting their exit visas in addition to the follow up of their cases after they leave the Kingdom. Trained employees supervise the procedures of transfer and admission and provide the patients and their companions with any other services they need, working on a twenty-four hour basis, including holidays and official feast days. The "City" has a team of qualified translators who provide the "City" and the patients with the translation services they need.

Follow up after the completion of treatment is an important service provided by Prince Sultan's City. For example, when a patient completes his rehabilitation treatment, especially if he has spinal chord injury, he is allowed to reside in a house close to the "City" location so that he will have the opportunity to carry out his activities and take care of himself under the supervision of physical therapists. It is hoped that this procedure will help him adapt to his new pattern of life by the time he is ready to go home.

The "City" also has an international operation room with ultra modern appliances including three-dimension radiology.

The "City" conference room is furnished by the most technologically advanced means of communication which make it possible to transmit any medical operation being performed at the "City" to any part of the world where it will be watched live, and by the same token to receive any operation being performed elsewhere in the world and watch it live here (that is at the same time it is being performed).

Prince Sultan's Medical City, which was built in accordance to a distinguished architectural plan, occupies an area of one million and two hundreds thousand square meters and is surrounded by green areas that will tend to raise the patient's morale and cheer him up.

In order to support and complement the medical city's functions, "Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz Program for Medical and Educational Communications" was established in 1998 under the name "Medionet." It is a unique program that provides both the health and educational sectors in the Kingdom with communication services and information technology in addition to connecting them with a modern communication network through which they can contact the medical and research centers within the Kingdom or abroad.

At first, Medionet concentrated on services related to the areas of health and education. Later, it took possession of a modern high-speed communication network that covers all regions of the Kingdom through the utilization of satellite technology, photic fibers and microwave digital networks.

"Mideonet" offers a variety of services of excellent quality. At the forefront is the field of medical communications services. These include diagnosing the patient's illness, following up his medical file and carrying out the process of diagnosis and treatment by remote control. This facility guarantees that the patient can obtain excellent medical care without having to travel or wait. All specialized and general hospitals and specialized medical centers benefit from this service.

"Medionet" also provides the service of "teaching by remote control" through the computer network. It transmits lectures, symposiums and televised studies from within or outside the Kingdom to Saudi students and lecturers wherever they may be. The program also offers similar services of teaching by remote control to the universities and teaching and training centers in Saudi Arabia.

Medionet has also the technology and expertise necessary to transmit the proceedings of multilateral conferences irrespective of geographical distances in such a way that the attendants feel as if they were in one single meeting hall inspite of the distances separating them from those conferences whether held locally or internationally. Medionet also offers services of high quality telegraphic network connections. It also can offer the service of establishing and furnishing information centers for different organizations and agencies of various sectors. It also can operate these centers and provide them with security systems with a high degree of accuracy. It also has the human and technological skills that will enable it to plan and implement websites on the internet.

In addition, Medionet has the capacity to plan and implement hospital information systems and to provide them with the technical team needed for operating them in their early stages. It also participates in promoting electronic trade in medicines and other medical necessities and in bolstering the marketing efforts of the private sector by selling the electronic guide that was prepared for this purpose. In addition, Medionet has undertaken the responsibility of continuously updating the medical products appearing on the health website (www.health.net.sa). This activity targets the medical, pharmaceutical and nursing sectors in the Kingdom, and it is done with the cooperation of various private and public agencies dealing with health services.

Medionet provides rooms for training and lecture halls furnished with the most recent systems of visual communication. They are used to transmit the proceedings of conferences, symposia, and specialized sessions.

Regarding specialized training, Medionet teachers and trains the work teams of various agencies or institutes of the public and private sectors. The purpose is to qualify them in utilizing or operating the systems that were supplied by Medionet.

Thanks to the quality of its performances and its worldwide reputation, Medionet has succeeded in strengthening its ties and dealings with international companies specialized in developing systems of communication and information and the technology related to them. Some of these companies have made Medionet an authorized technical partner.

Prince Sultan chose the Easter Region as the location of Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz Center for Technical Sciences. The Center was built in the city of Al-Khubar, on the Gulf shore of the Kingdom. This City was chosen because of its strategic location and because it is considered a principal window that opens on the Arabian Gulf. From this location, the Center serves the Saudi citizens in particular, and the citizens of the Arabian Gulf countries in general.

One of the aims of the Center is the simplification of scientific thought and subjects. Through its scientific exhibits and is cultural activities, the Center hopes to broaden the visitors' scientific understanding and to develop their desire to learn and explore especially in the areas of science. This service is offered to visitors of different ages.

One of the new children's services the Center is planning to offer is clarifying scientific methodology through teaching by recreation and also teaching by trial and observation, utilizing the Center's facilities and appliances for this purpose.

The Center has seven demonstration halls in the various areas of science and technology, which were specifically chosen to support subjects taught in the educational programs in the Kingdom. The exhibits are presentation in a scientific stimulating manner. Below we will briefly describe each of these halls:

1- The Earth and Space Hall: this gives visitors the opportunity to discover the beauty of the universe and the secrets and laws revealed by God Almighty, which show the interdependence between the aesthetic and material aspects of the world as seen on earth. The exhibits also explain some of the cosmetic forces and their impact on the genesis of the earth and the planets.

The Hall also introduces the technologies used in the exploration of the universe including solar energy and the planets. It presents different phases of the moon and a presentation of the earth and its orbit. Other exhibits include information about the following topics: the climate, the living creatures, plants and animals that can exist in different parts of the Kingdom, a framework of Hubble space telescope, and some frameworks that explain the organs of the human body and their functions with emphasis on how to maintain good health.

2- The Hall of the Seas: exhibits specimen of sea life in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia taken from the Read Sea and the Arabian Gulf. It contains a round pool with a radius of seven meters and a depth of four meters, in addition to smaller pools exhibiting aquatic creatures and plants.

3- The Science Hall: here visitors can observe the wonderful phenomena of nature through the study of physics and chemistry and topics relating to energy and to the movement of the latent forces of nature. Visitors are also introduced to methods of scientific experiments and the expected results. The Hall has scientific exhibits of the following topics:

a. Magnetism and electricity.
b. The Technology regarding atomic energy and laser
c. Sound waves and the laws of motion

4- The Technology Hall: contains information and exhibits about the sciences and their role in technological developments and how technology is utilized in our daily life, and about the bright future of technology and its development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Children observe the various areas of science presented to them. The Hall will also explain the technology being employed in the Kingdom in the fields of water desalination and agriculture, petro-chemical industry, transportation, and energy transformation.

5- The Exploration Hall: In a safe environment full of merriment, children between four and eight years old are exposed to familiar exciting surroundings that elicit in them interest in exploration. Parents may accompany their children as supervisors or participants.

6- The Information Hall: This Hall gives visitors information about Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz Charitable Center and its achievements. It also explains the mission and goals of the Center and the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Islamic world as well as its contributions in the different areas of science. It also has information about the Two Holy Mosques, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the pilgrimage rituals, plus a brief history of the development of the Kingdom and the contributions of Muslim scholars in the fields of science, in addition to allusions about science in the Holy Kuran.

The implementation of the Center's project is taking place according to the original time schedule inspite of additions introduced during carrying out the project. The external structure of the buildings was completed within one year and work on the internal installations is now proceeding.

Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz Charitable Housing project was started in 1421H. By 1424H, the project came to include housing compounds in the four regions of 'Acir, Ha-el, Tabook and Najram. These compounds contain 420 villas of different areas. The privacy of the Saudi family and the Saudi customs and tradition were taken into consideration during construction. The compounds contain supporting facilities such as mosques, schools, clinics, roads and gardens.

Prince Sultan's Ibn Abdul-Aziz Charitable Institute developed an academic program for the rehabilitation of persons with various kinds of disabilities. In accordance with an agreement between Prince Sultan's Charitable Institute and the Arab Gulf University at Bahrain, the University will introduce a special academic program for preparing specialists in the rehabilitation of persons with various disabilities in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Twenty-eight male and female students have received scholarship to enroll in programs leading to the diplomas in higher education or to the master's degree in rehabilitating persons with mental retardation or difficulties in learning. Already fourteen students have received master's degrees and three students have received the diploma of higher education. Eleven students are still pursuing their studies. According to the agreement, yearly training sessions for the specialists in rehabilitation will be held. Several persons have already participated in such sessions.

Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz donated a grant of five million dollars to the University of California at Berkeley, USA, for the establishment of a program for Arab and Islamic Studies. The program started on 23/1/1998.

Among the projects of Prince Sultan's Scientific Institute is the publication of the International Arab Encyclopedia. The second edition has already been published and Prince Sultan directed its sale at half its previous price.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Institute is in continuous communication with the charitable organizations centers for mutual cooperation as well as for the support of their activities and programs. The Institute supports the societies for teaching the Holy Kuran and other conferences and meetings. Recently the Institute received King Faysal's International Prize for the Service of Islam and Human Beings and Society. Prince Faysal Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz, President and Secretary General of King Faysal's Institute directed the granting of this prize.