Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The coronavirus pandemic is “the worst humanitarian disaster in the recent history,” said Dr. Bandar Bin Abdulmohsen Al-Knawy, the CEO at the Ministry of the National Guard and the president of King Saud bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences, on Tuesday.

“I don’t think it is exaggerated to say that this is the worst human disaster of recent history ... I believe COVID-19 has brought the importance of public health to the forefront as a critical global health security issue,” he added.

Dr. Al-Knawy made the opening remarks on the first day of a two-day Riyadh Global Digital Health Summit in Riyadh.

The summit, which has been organized by the health affairs of the Ministry of National Guard and the Saudi Center for International Strategic Partnerships in cooperation with the Saudi Secretariat of the G20, aims to achieve the role of digital health to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare system.

The summit is a part of the programs of international conferences held on the sidelines of the Saudi current G20 presidency and it has brought global leaders in healthcare together from across the world to discuss how digital health technology could aid in the fight against coronavirus.

“At this age of continuous connection and digitization, COVID-19 has opened up new opportunities for us to connect, learn, innovate and think about how we can better fight communicable diseases,” Dr. Alknawy added.

He also said that digital health has played a crucial role in the fight against coronavirus.