RIYADH — The Ministry of Health signed a community partnership agreement with Nahdi Medical Company. Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah and Nahdi's Chief Executive Officer Yasser Joharji signed the agreement on Thursday during a meeting at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Riyadh Digital City.

The agreement aims to build community sustainability "For Health, For Life, For Generations".

The Ministry of Health aspires to promote the private sector's contribution to healthcare development and enable it to carry out business with healthy returns that meet the actual needs of the community, while Nahdi Medical Company aims to serve the community and the nation through sustainable and charitable health projects, said a joint press statement released after the signing ceremony.

Through this agreement, the Ministry of Health will facilitate Nahdi's work and oversee all partnership projects between the two parties, whereas Nahdi Medical Company will offer healthcare services inside 50 educational clinics in its pharmacies for 100 thousand patients, including medical, diabetes and vaccination education, in addition to a weight management program targeting 100,000 patients.

In his comment, Joharji stated: "We signed this agreement with the Ministry of Health in the framework of Nahdi's strategy within the Kingdom's Vision 2030 in order to expand the company's community health services. We aspire to become a central community pharmacy providing medication alongside our role as provider of knowledge, awareness and services."

Joharji explained that Nahdi will offer diabetes and medication education services to patients through 50 pharmacies across the Kingdom, with a goal to complete 300,000 diabetes education sessions by 2020. Furthermore, an electronic application for educating diabetes patients will be developed with the objective to target 100,000 patients by 2020.

In addition, Nahdi will prepare two mobile health convoys to serve pilgrims and visitors, both of which will offer diabetes, blood pressure measurement and medication education to 30,000 pilgrims by 2020. Non-prescription medication such as fever reducers and cold medicine will also be provided to all pilgrims benefiting from the service.

On another note, Nahdi will provide health charities with needed medication using the change obtained through the company's guests, in addition to organizing a seasonal vaccination campaign for 100,000 children and adults in the Kingdom and offering free vaccination services for 3,000 people.

The agreement includes awareness campaigns for obesity, walking and weight management (Wazen Program), which include the launch and implementation of a weight loss competition across the Kingdom through the 10 billion steps campaign, which will encourage 200,000 people to adopt the habit of walking 10,000 steps a day. Moreover, 10,000 new mothers and expectant mothers will be coached as per a training program approved by the ministry. — SG