The 2ndConsultative Meeting of MOH Officials was successfully concluded Thursday evening in Dammam, following two days of discussions pertaining to healthcare services in the Kingdom.
According to the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Rabeeah, a number of topics were covered during the event. Programs regarding both non-communicable and infectious diseases were discussed, including the infection-control and sterilization programs for all of the Kingdom’s hospitals and dental centers. Important components of these two programs include the monitoring and updating of sterilization infrastructure and equipment, and also securing qualified personnel.
The success of the National Immunization Programis in step with similar programs in developed countries, covering 97% of the Kingdom’s healthcare beneficiaries. The Kingdom is proud of its achievements in eradicating polio and tetanus, and is anticipating the eradication of measles in all GCC countries by next year.
Specialized centers are also being established to study and eliminate parasitic and infectious diseases.
At the Vector National Center in Jizan, a special budget was allocated to cooperate with international universities to conduct research on such mosquito-borne diseases as malaria,dengue fever and kharma.
An additional amount was allocated to complete a national center in Riyadh housing fourth-level laboratories; the center will be the only one in the Middle East to deal with viruses and high-infection bacteria. MOH is also concerned withnon-communicable disease prevention,and has approved awareness and prevention programs for cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, accidents, obesityand physical activity in addition to premarital and newborn screening programs.
The Ministry has carried out a complete review of its healthcare workforce, including technical positions and job descriptions. The meeting also reviewed a variety of other Ministry programs, including Patient Relations, Patient Security and Safety, Training, Bed Management, One-day Surgery and the Visiting Doctor Program.
The Visiting Doctor Program is concerned with seeking the help of physicians with expertise in rare specialties to work as freelance consultants, especially with patients in remote areas. Deals were signed between the Ministry of Health and universities in both Jordan and Egypt, and with the Surgeons College in Pakistan. More than 300 foreign consultants were hired last year as well as 500 national consultants on short-term contracts.
Dr. Al Rabeeah directed Ministry officials to be in constant communication with regional health directorates in order to overcome obstacles and to report delayed procedures. Successful health affairs directory experiences were shared in the meeting, as well as other suggestions and proposals.
HE concluded the meeting by emphasizing a number of significant issues. He mentioned the importance of clinical indicators in hospitals, as well as follow-up and support for various quality-assurance and hospital accreditation programs. Healthcare management must track performance progress, report sentinel events and monitor physician productivity in terms of the number of surgeries and consultations they complete. HE also stressed the importance of highlighting staff achievements to boost morale and productivity.