Jeddah, November 2019: A strategic partnership agreement was signed on Thursday, 17 Rabi Al Awwal1441 A.H. corresponding to 14 November 2019 A.D. between Saudi Arabian Airlines Public Corporation and Fakeeh Hospital, under which "Medical", the first government health facility represented by Saudi Airlines Medical Services Strategic Unit, is being privatized; and that is within the framework of the project of privatizing the units and companies of Saudi Arabian Airlines. Until now, both of Saudi Airlines Catering and Saudi Ground Services companies have been privatized, while significant milestones have been accomplished to privatize Saudia Cargo and Saudia Private Aviation.
The partnership and privatization agreement was signed this morning at the headquarter of Saudi Arabian Airlines in Jeddah under the patronage of the Minister of Transport, the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee for Privatization for the Transport Sector, Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, in the presence of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Arabian Airlines Public Corporation, Dr. Ghassan bin AbdulRahman Al-Shebal, and the CEO of the National Center for Privatization (NCP), Rayyan bin Mohammed Nagadi, and the Acting Director General of Saudi Airlines, Sami bin Ali Sindi.
The ceremony began with a recital of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by a presentation of the advanced medical capabilities in “Medical" through a video prepared especially for the occasion, then the CEO of the Strategic Unit of Medical Services, Dr. Mohammed bin Abdullah Bafakeeh delivered a welcoming speech praising the partnership and integration among many of ministries and institutions of the State to accomplish this strategic project which is significant as it is the first state-owned health facility to be privatized.
Bafakeeh stressed that the process of privatizing "Medical" comes in the context of the comprehensive privatization project for Saudi Airlines Group which aimed at improving the provided services through transforming the Corporation's sectors into independent companies that manage the operations of the Corporation and develop its services. Furthermore, he noted that the Strategic Unit of Medical Services in Saudi Airlines is the largest specialized center in aviation medicine services in the Kingdom which is accredited by the General Authority of Civil Aviation and US Federal Aviation Administration to provide aviation medicine services to more than 15,000 pilots, hosts and aircrew including the provision of health care and medical services to more than 140,000 beneficiaries of employees of the Corporation and its group of companies. He added: "Privatizing the Strategic Unit of Medical Services will result in the provision of health care services of the highest international standards for beneficiaries, whether for employees of the Corporation group or their families, in addition to the general public who wishes to benefit from the advanced medical services of “Medical", especially after this agreement, partnership and integration with one of the most prominent health facilities in the Kingdom."
After that, a video presentation was shown with full information about the advanced capabilities and medical services provided by Fakeeh Medical Group and Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital.
This was followed by the signing of the partnership agreement between Saudi Arabian Airlines, represented by the Acting Director General of Saudi Airlines, Sami bin Ali Sindi, and Fakeeh Medical Group, represented by the CEO of the Group, Dr. Mazen Soliman Fakeeh, so that the privatization process will be finalized after the completion of the final procedures followed in this regard.
The Minister of Transport, the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee for Privatization for the Transport Sector, Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser congratulated Saudi Airlines and Fakeeh Medical Group on their strategic partnership to provide the best levels of health care to the Corporation's employees, their families and all the beneficiaries, stressing that this partnership and the results of privatizing the medical services in Saudi Airlines contribute in achieving the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which aims through one of its main pillars to build a prosperous and sustainable economy through the partnership with the private sector in the process of comprehensive development and enhancing government services quality provided to the citizens, residents and visitors.
Al-Jasser said: "We are pleased today to accomplish this strategic project within the PPP framework to improve services and support comprehensive development programs towards a stronger, diversified and sustainable national economy; and on this occasion, I would like to thank the colleagues in the Privatization Program Committee, led by H.E. the Minister of Finance Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan, the National Center for Privatization, and my dear colleagues in Saudi Airlines, whether the Privatization Team or the Medical Services Department for their integration efforts to accomplish this strategic project, which will be an inspiring example for other concentrated efforts integrating to achieve more of the comprehensive development projects and programs in this bright era of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Highness the Crown Prince, may Allah protect them."
On his part, the CEO of the National Center for Privatization (NCP), Rayyan bin Mohammed Nagadi said that this initiative represented by privatizing the Strategic Unit of Medical Services is the first privatization process since launching the Kingdom's vision 2030 through government assets sale, stressing that this partnership will raise operational efficiency and enhance government services quality, and enable the participation of the private sector in the development and the national economy through investing in the targeted sectors for privatization. He also pointed out that selling a share of the Strategic Unit of Medical Services will contribute to the achievement of the main objectives of the Privatization Program, including unlock state-owned assets for the private sector and increase the participation of the private sector in the national economy from 40% to 65% in line with the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.
