Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah confirmed the ministry’s keenness to provide distinguished health service, especially since the healthcare centers are known of their proximity to the public and their quick service. The centers will be MOH’s major focus in the development of health services during the coming period. Dr. Al-Rabiah has inaugurated today, Thursday, design models for new primary health care centers in the neighborhoods of Al-Sulaymaniyah, Al-Wadi, Al-Khaleej, Al-Murabba and Al-Mansoura. “These are model centers. All MOH’s newly built centers will be rehabilitated and replaced with similar models, in addition to building new ones. The ministry has 2400 centers and if we can build 200 centers each year, all leased centers will be transferred to owned ones within six years given their large numbers Kingdom wide”, added Dr. Al-Rabiah.
“This is not about buildings only, it is also about the operation of these buildings, providing professional services and upgrading them. This is an integral part of the overall system we are working on. Undoubtedly, this development takes time and several years given the magnitude of the work, and you will see similar centers and even better overtime”, he stressed.
In addition, Dr. Al-Rabiah stated that the primary healthcare centers are operated by specialized family doctors who check the most common medical cases and decide which ones need to be transferred to hospitals for a certain specialty. Therefore, they are the first line of defense and they contribute to providing and dispensing treatment in a short time, an accepted practice worldwide. He also pointed out that family medicine - a somewhat lacking field - is one of the most important specialties. Hence, it occupies our focus in the coming period. In fact, family doctors play a key role in providing integrated services to all community members.
It is noted that the Ministry of Health (MOH) is intensifying its efforts to improve and develop its health and therapeutic services including the primary healthcare centers, which enter a new stage with the inauguration of the new model centers. The new centers represent an initiative to improve and restructure the primary care, which is one of the most important initiatives of the health sector transformation.
The new model centers will provide all preventive, health and community services with the implementation of CBAHI's standards. The services include consulting clinics, primary psychiatric clinics and other services such as immunization, maternity care, family medicine and early detection of chronic diseases. Through a community board, residents of a neighborhood will participate in the planning of health services.
Also, the centers will include a training center for family medicine fellowship with application of a unified e-medical record. The new centers will feature modern architectural style and will be equipped with required safety supplies. It’s noted that the work is currently underway to start the stage of mega centers as per the identity approved by MOH in work environment.