The Minister of Health, Fahad bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel, has received a congratulatory letter from Tedros Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, for the eradication of trachoma in the Kingdom. Al-Jalajel has also received a similar letter accrediting the Healthy Cities Program (HCP) in its capacity as a cooperating center with WHO.
This achievement is the result of the thorough directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince, as well as the support of the Minister of Health, and the hard work to keep pace with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030. Trachoma got eradicated from the Kingdom after all WHO standards and requirements were met. MOH seeks to eliminate epidemics to turn its strategy of a healthy society into a reality.
WHO said that trachoma is a disease of the eye and the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. Its transmission occurs through contact with infective discharges from the eyes and nose, particularly in young children who harbor the main reservoir of infection. Trachoma has blinded or visually impaired around 1.9 million people worldwide.
In 2019, the Kingdom launched the Trachoma-free Project, which included all relevant health facilities and bodies in all regions and governorates of the Kingdom. All research related to the history of trachoma for over 40 years have been studied in the process.
The accreditation of HCP as a cooperating center with WHO is the result of the program being one of the top community health initiatives that were met with great demand by decision makers, and was sought to be implemented in many countries as an integrated model that contributes to reinforcing the health of communities, reducing economic burdens of health care, and achieving the objectives of sustainable development.
Over the past four years, KSA has been exceling on a regional and global level by receiving WHO's accreditation for nine medical cities in four different regions, which are: Diriyah, Madinah, Al-Taif, Unayzah, Jalajil, Al-Mandaq, Al-Jumum, Riyadh Al-Khabra, and Sharorah. This accreditation is deemed the highest among the countries of the region. In addition, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University was accredited as the first health-promoting university in the region, and this has greatly contributed to this achievement.