Bandar Al Knawy

CEO at Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNGHA) & President, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences & King Abdullah International Medical Research Center

Speaker

I am the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNGHA) and President of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Saudi Arabia, and an Executive member of the Saudi Health Service Council (SHSC), the national governing healthcare body in Saudi Arabia. Also, a member of the Health Sector Transformation Program (HSTP), the highest governmental entities in Saudi Arabia.

I am a strong advocate of patient safety and quality and has led several high impact initiatives. Under my supervision, the Health Sciences University and King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre commissioned state-of-the-art facilities, and led a system-wide implementation of the BestCare electronic health record system covering the MNGHA network.

I am highly skilled and qualified medical professional who is committed to provide, with all sincerity and dedication, the highest quality patient care for the betterment and the development, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs.

August 2020, I was the President of the Riyadh Global Digital Health Summit, a G20-associated event that envisioned a global health system connectivity in preparedness and response to COVID-19 Pandemics. The event was one of the largest virtual health conferences of the year and certainly the largest one on public health combined with digital health.

January 2023, I was also the President of the second edition of the Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit and discuss the latest developments in the medical biotechnology globally with the aim of forging global strategic partnerships in this fast-growing field with the participation of local, regional and international biotechnology community including academic, industrial and government entities.

Furthermore, as the President his involvement in the planning and organization of the third edition of Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology 2024 event signifies his dedication to advancing innovation and collaboration in the field of medical biotechnology. Through his initiative, aims to promote cutting-edge research, technological advancements, and strategic partnerships to address critical health issues and improve healthcare outcomes on a global scale.

Since 2009 until present, I am the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNGHA), an organization which comprises four medical cities in the four major regions of Saudi Arabia as well as holding the position of President at the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences and King Abdullah International Research Center (KAIMRC). I also served as the General Supervisor for the Royal Clinics of the late King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques from 2009 until January 2014.

I obtained MBBS from King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Faculty of Medicine in June 1985 that followed by full residency training in Internal Medicine in 1990 and obtained Gastroenterology Fellowship in 1992 from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. I also holds a fellowship in Internal Medicine from the American and Canadian Boards, as well as the American Board Certification in Gastroenterology. In addition, I have been a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada since 1991.

I had numerous scientific and medical articles published in international journals. I was the guest editor of the February 2010 issue of Clinics in Liver Disease – Healthcare Associated Transmission of Hepatitis B & C Viruses. I was the author of a book entitled “Hepatology: A Practical Approach”, published in December 2004, and a textbook entitled Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Practical Approach", released in September 2009. I am the author and editor of the first edition of a book entitled “Leading Reliable Healthcare”, published in December 2018. I am also the author and editor of a book entitled “Organizational Insights: Healthcare Perspective” under the Springer Series in Healthcare Management and Innovation, published in January 2026.