The MOH’s spokesman, Dr. Khalid bin Mohammad Margalani, demonstrated that the Ministry of Health (MOH) has managed to contract with 2323 visiting physicians through its contractual program with visiting physicians initiated since 1431H up until now, affirming that, this step comes within the framework of the Ministry’s keenness to improve its services and promote the level of its health facilities in line with the Ministry’s directions towards serving patients to win their satisfaction. Dr. Margalani has lauded the effective contribution of the distinguished local consultants through the Visiting Physician Program to work in many central and referential hospitals since the initiation of the Program until this moment.
Dr. Margalani said that in light of the difficulty of signing permanent contracts with consultant physicians in some medical majors due to their scarcity worldwide, the Ministry of Health has been managing to attract a distinguished selection of consultant physicians from Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, the United States, Britain, Sweden, and Australia; who are highly qualified in the most precise scientific medical majors to work in many hospitals located in the main and peripheral Kingdom’s regions and cities.
In the same vein, Dr. Margalani went on to add that in 1431H, the Ministry managed to contract with 364 physicians. While, in 1432, the Ministry contracted with 931 physicians. Moreover, in 1433H, the MOH contracted with 599 physicians. As for the current year, the MOH managed to contract with 429 physicians up till now.
Furthermore, Dr. Margalani pointed out that the goals of the Program are to meet the region needs of workforce, reduce referrals to regions, minimize the waiting lists in clinics and operations, train, develop, and improve the level of management, and benefit from national cadres at the Kingdom’s level.
Dr. Margalani stated that the Ministry of Health has started applying the Advisory Visits Program, which aims at offering advanced health services through conducting frequent visits to regions and provinces particularly peripheral areas by the consultant physicians; in order to promote the level of health services offered in patients’ whereabouts without having to commute to other regions for treatment.
It is worth noting that the Program is not exclusive to MOH physicians, but it, also, includes all Saudi cadres working in all public health sectors. As per patients’ needs and numbers, regions coordinate with those physicians of different majors to conduct visits for 3-5 days each period.
In addition, Dr. Margalani pointed out that regions have benefited from the (Visiting Physician Program). For instance, Tabuk health affairs have benefited from this Program since it was launched; given that, 99 consultant visiting physicians of different precise medical majors have visited Tabuk. Also, endoscopy surgeries were operated, the matter that resulted in reducing the number of cases referred outside the region, and alleviating the suffering of patients while travelling long distances. Moreover, visiting consultant physicians have trained medical cadres working in hospitals on the latest skills and techniques, and presented lectures and workshops to workers in hospitals.
Dr. Margalani pointed out that the Consultant Visiting Physician Program has also succeeded in the field of eye medicine and surgery. For example, in King Abdulaziz bin Musa’ad Hospital in Ar’ar, Northern Region, 2602 cases were checked, and 111 surgeries were operated. This matter led to minimize the number of cases referred to advanced centres, reduce the waiting time from 4 months to one month. In addition, the Program helped reduce appointment waiting periods in consultant clinics from 6 months to 2 months.
As for Al Jouf Region, in the field of neonatology, the Consultant Visiting Physician Program has helped cool brains of newborns, install central venous catheters, use high-frequency ventilator, prepare total parenteral nutrition protocols for newborns, perform closure of patent ductus arteriosus for newborns therapeutically not surgically and train the nursing staff of newborns. This matter helped reduce deaths among preterm infants (weighted 700 grams and above).
In the field of infertility, uterine endoscopy has been used, and artificial insemination has been introduced. It is worth noting that the rate of infertility clinics visitors is 25 daily; the rate of pregnancy has reached 20% after treatment. Moreover, protocols of infertility cases and endoscopies were prepared in maternity and children hospital. Furthermore, the number of surgeries operated in the Region’s hospitals since the initiation of the Program has reached about 1390 surgeries.