Dr. Abdullah Qinan Al-Zahrani, Head of the Field Epidemiology Unit of Executive Committee of Preventive Medicine during Hajj, has revealed that 9 students of field epidemiology diploma take part in the provision of health services for pilgrims, as one of the preventive medical teams involved in this year's Hajj season.
Dr. AL-Zahrani pointed out that this student team participates in epidemiological monitoring and survey processes among pilgrims, as well as conducting investigative field studies, in pursuit of improving such processes through the preset, in light of the data at hand and the previous experiences.
The Field Epidemiology Program is an academic program attached to the Assistant Agency for Preventive Medicine at the Ministry of Health (MOH). It has been established to meet the Ministry's requirements, and to support preventive medicine sections, as well as the various health regions, with Saudi proficient and highly trained staff specialized in epidemiology. Besides, it plays a significant role during Hajj.
The Program has been launched in 1409H, in collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The duration of study is two years, after which the trainee gets the Field Epidemiology Diploma from the Faculty of Medicine at King Saud University (KSU), which is regarded by the Saudi Commission for Health as equivalent to Master's Degree. So far, over 100 trainees specialized in Epidemiology, including a number of trainees from the neighboring states, have graduated.