Italian health minister explores key areas of cooperation during Riyadh visit

Arab News

16-04-2025

RIYADH: Italian Health Minister Orazio Schillaci met his Saudi counterpart Fahad Al-Jalajel and senior officials to explore key areas of medical excellence and ways to enhance bilateral cooperation, during an official visit to Riyadh on Wednesday.
Schillaci told Arab News that there were prospects for collaboration with Saudi Arabia in the healthcare sector and in advanced medical technologies.
'During my visit to Riyadh I was able to appreciate the excellence of the Saudi healthcare system,' he said. 'I also had the opportunity to confirm Italy's willingness to explore avenues of collaboration in the healthcare sector and advanced medical technologies between our two countries, in the wake of the strategic partnership launched by our prime minister last January.
'Cooperation in projects regarding virtual hospitals and artificial intelligence tools applied to medicine is of particular interest to Italy,' Schillaci said.
Saudi Arabia was known to be committed to developing its healthcare sector through sharing best practices with its main partners, such as Italy, he said, and by promoting the use of modern technologies, particularly in the pharmaceutical field.
Several agreements between Italian and Saudi entities in the health sector had already been announced, he said.
In addition to these existing agreements, Schillaci expressed an intention to further develop interactions between the two countries, including through the development of innovative technologies, telemedicine and antimicrobials.
Schillaci underlined the importance of close collaboration with Saudi Arabia.
'Cooperation also through the exchange of experiences will allow the two countries to benefit from the potential available in terms of innovation and modern technologies, with the aim of offering an ever-improving medical service,' he said.
During his Saudi trip, the minister visited several hospitals, appreciating, among other things, the technologies that were contributing to the medical progress of the country and offering excellent treatment for patients.
Schillaci began his official visit to Riyadh with a meeting with Al-Jalajel on Monday.
This was followed by visits to Seha Virtual Hospital, the National Health Command Center and meetings with the CEOs of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, National Unified Procurement Company, with Khaled Al-Kattan, dean of Alfaisal University's College of Medicine, with Dr. Bjorn Zoega, deputy chief executive officer, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, and with Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib, chairman of Sulaiman Al-Habib Group.
Seha Virtual Hospital, using innovative technologies, supports 170 hospitals around the Kingdom, and provides 29 basic specialized health services, in addition to more than 73 sub-specialty services. The virtual hospital is one of the priority initiatives in the health sector transformation program under Saudi Vision 2030.
The visit to KFSHRC aimed to explore key areas of medical excellence and gain insight into Saudi Arabia's expertise in advancing specialized health care services.
The visit featured a comprehensive briefing on the KFSHRC Heart Center of Excellence and the Organ Transplant Center of Excellence, along with an overview of the latest technologies for treating complex cardiac conditions and performing minimally invasive robotic surgeries.
The visit reflects the growing global interest in KFSHRC's pioneering model, which integrates clinical expertise with cutting-edge medical technologies, the hospital said in a press release.
The hospital has achieved several milestones, including the world's first fully robotic heart transplant and the first fully robotic liver transplant, reinforcing its standing as a global reference in advanced specialized care.