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Primary health care is the front defense line, says Al-Sherif

11 June 2007

The General Secretary of Cooperative Health Insurance Dr. Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Sherif said primary health care is the front defense line against disease. He said primary health care is the key towards ensuring health for all, a goal targeted by all governments as well as the World Health Organization.

He said most countries pay utmost attention to primary health care through intensive programs of public education and preparation of competent relative manpower.

"Saudi Arabia has attained great successes in coping with the international trends towards primary health care", he said. "The quality transformation noticed in this field is attributed to the successive developments occurring in the health sector in general. It will support the status of the Kingdom among advanced nations adopting high technology in this fieldw".

He said the Kingdom provides primary health care in the form of basic health services through primary health centers. The services include the basic elements of health care, such as health education, environmental hygiene, maternity and childhood health services, enhancing healthy nutrition, vaccination against contagious diseases, diagnosis and treatment of common diseases, protecting the community against contagious and endemic diseases, and providing drug supplies.