H.E. the Health Minister Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah inaugurated the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Conference and Exhibition today (Wednesday), at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh. The conference is organized by MOH, the Saudi Health Council (SHC) and the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS).
Addressing the opening session, Al-Rabiah said the digital health technologies will play a pivotal role in the transformation of health services adopted by MOH. A large part of the Saudi's Vision 2030 focuses on health issues, he added. MOH's aim is to organize the sector and separate the health services so that we have an independent operation system and a better judgment.
He went on saying that the national health insurance, which is an essential part of the system, will be provided to boost the health services.
“E-health will be an essential part of this transformation, and will support it so as to contribute significantly to the improvement of health services and streamline access to such health services,” he said.
He pointed out that the Mawid App, which was presented during the inaugural session, is one of the main apps that enables patients to use the digital technology to access the health services through Absher App and book an appointment at the nearest healthcare center. Through the App, patients can book, amend or cancel their appointments, as well as rating the quality of service provided; thus, contributing to help us to improve the health services. "So far, about two and half million persons have registered with Mawid App, in addition to over 3,900,000 appointments during four months, he said, adding that the App will achieve a qualitative shift in the health services in the future, Allah wiling.
On the Seha App, launched by MOH, he said the App enables patients to have direct communication with doctors via face-to-face meeting or messages. This in addition to the 937-Service Center which records over one and half million consultations a year. He noted that MOH is developing the electronic medical prescriptions with the aim of reducing the need to visit hospitals or healthcare centers.
“I think artificial intelligence (AI) will play a huge role in the development of health services in the coming years, and MOH will include AI services in Seha App to enable patients to explain their medical problems", Al-Rabiah said, adding that, based on experiences outside the Kingdom, AI gives better results than visiting a physician.
“We appreciate the pivotal role of the physician, which is indispensable, but this technique will reduce pressure on the physician and facilitate access to health services in common diseases,” he added.
Al-Rabiah reviewed an app that remotely and promptly interprets X-ray images, which is already being used in four hospitals. AI will be introduced to make readings more in-depth and accurate, he said.
He stressed the need to train and qualify health practitioners to use these new techniques, and thanked the SCHS for making such training a prerequisite for obtaining a health practice license.
Concluding his speech Al-Rabiah said: “The future is brighter with the use of technologies in health services, and the Kingdom will be a leader in this field, Allah willing”.
For his part, SHC Secretary-General Dr. Ahmed Al-Amry said the conference held three training courses and workshops during the past three days with the participation of international trainers, and a total of 44 education hours.
The conference received 60 working papers, 27 of which were accepted, six will be presented in the main program, and 21 in the form of posters, he added.
Al-Amiri concluded that the conference featured 67 speakers from 15 countries to present 36 lectures, 7 dialogue sessions and 10 workshops on a number of topics, noting that the outcomes of the conference focused on adherence to the unified health file by 2020.