The Ministry of Health (MOH) has revealed its trend to increase the number of legitimate health authorities in the Kingdom; in an endeavor to accelerate the judgment process on the cases of medical errors referred by the relevant entities to these authorities. Therefore, a new authority has been formed under the name of “The Legitimate Health Authority”; to consider the cases referred by His Excellency the Minister of Health.
The Assistant Deputy Minister for Supportive Medical Services, Dr. Muneera bint Hamden Al-Esseimi, has pointed out that the increase of legitimate health authorities comes within the framework of the achievements and activities of MOH Forensic Medicine Department. Furthermore, she has indicated that this department has many activities and programs, through which MOH seeks to develop the forensic services in the Kingdom, including the preparation to provide the forensic medicine centers with an examination kit for sexual abuse cases (rape kit), aside from considering the possibility of modifying it to fit the need of forensic medicine centers and the privacy situation in the Kingdom.
Within the same vein, Dr. Al-Esseimi has stated that the Forensic Medicine Department has developed the effective participation in the Saudi Forensic Medicine Fellowship program, granting the Forensic Medicine Specialty Certificate, which is equivalent to Ph.D. degree certificate. Over the last year's program (1433H), 15 male and female Saudi physicians have been admitted; bringing the number of those enrolled into the program of its various stages to about 51 male and female physicians. That is to be added to keeping on training and qualifying the female medical cadres to work in the forensic medicine centers.
Dr. Muneera Al-Esseimi went on adding that MOH Forensic Medicine Department contributed to the master's degree program in toxins and drugs. These certificates are granted the program applicants by Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS), after being taught the forensic medicine curriculum. In addition, the MOH Forensic Medicine Department participated in the Scientific Chemical Safety Committee, through organizing a workshop entitled: “Assessment and Improvement of the Response to Cases of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Poisoning from the Preventive, Curative and Laboratorial Perspective”.
Dr. Muneera has expounded that some of the forensic medical centers all over Kingdom’s various governorates have been supported with forensic medical specialists; in order to accelerate the workflow and improve its performance, in addition to preparing to inaugurate a new forensic medicine center in Bisha.