The Saudi government still focuses on the Healthcare Sector in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and 2020 objectives as defined in the
National Transformation Plan. The Healthcare Sector retained its position as the third-largest expenditure domain in the 2019 fiscal budget, as its share of total budget expenditures has increased over the past few years.
Saudi Healthcare System:
The
healthcare system in the Kingdom can be defined as a national system to provide free health care services to citizens via a number of government agencies. At present, it is noticeable that the private sector plays a growing role and increases its participation in providing health care services. The Ministry of Health (MOH) is primarily responsible for supervising health care services in hospitals and the public and private sectors, and for providing the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) system.
Health Problems Facing the Youth:
Young people face many health problems, a large part of which are caused by lifestyle, such as:
Society in general and youth, in particular, are characterized by an unhealthy diet and lifestyle. The popular behaviors among young people comprise the consumption of fast food and soft drinks at high levels, accompanied by a sedentary lifestyle that does not include physical and muscular exertion. This leads to several health problems such as obesity, diabetes, early risk of cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, and rapid fatigue. Therefore, the treatment of such problems requires prevention, awareness, quality control of food commodities, and the encouragement of healthy habits, view the
Awareness Dose book.
Traffic accidents are a grave issue. Official statistics in the Eighth Development Plan indicate that the annual average number of traffic accident deaths and injuries in the Kingdom has amounted to about 6 thousand deaths and 5.35 thousand injuries. Injuries are concentrated among young males in the first place. In other words, traffic accidents are the first cause of death and the most significant source of disability among young people. Such an issue requires an immediate intervention, which is not limited to traffic control, and severe penalties for regulation violation; however, it should include the organization of an ongoing national awareness campaign.
No doubt that young age is a stage of biological transformation and maturity that results in special health needs and problems. In adolescence and youth, young people need reliable sources of knowledge about their health in general (nutrition, sports, personal hygiene, reproduction, etc.), which are naturally bonded indivisible issues.
The concerned authorities, especially MOH, are responsible for providing appropriate information and advice in this regard to young men and women. Such an approach has always distinguished our Islamic society, through its culture and traditions which dealt with such aspects openly and without embarrassment. This also achieves two interrelated objectives; the first is healthy and preventive, and the second is socio-cultural. The reason is that healthy and direct dealing with such needs and problems spares young people the risk of sliding into the individual search for information via unsound sources, which entails socially unacceptable health and behavioral risks.
Also, MOH is working to improve reproductive health and puberty among young people and provides
premarital screening services, and the testing of couples who are planning to get married soon for common genetic blood disorders and some infectious diseases. The premarital screening aims to give medical consultation on the odds of transmitting the abovementioned diseases to the other partner/spouse or children in the future.
Health Facilities in KSA:
Young people in the Kingdom benefit from the Healthcare System provided by MOH via a system of health facilities that include medical cities, specialized hospitals and primary care centers.
Healthcare for the Youth:
The Saudi health care system for young people consists of two levels: