Health services, just like all necessary and vital services in the Kingdom, receive much attention from the Wise Leadership. For the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, such services are reckoned a top priority, considering the current and ongoing development and expansion of all infrastructure and service facilities throughout our beloved Kingdom.
There is consensus that the health sector is one of the Kingdom's radiant facets. It has undergone considerable development brough about by means of the successive development plans, thanks be to God, and to the State's strenuous efforts in supporting this pivotal sector.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has a crucial role to play in the health development, proceeding from its genuine responsibility for formulating and implementing the health policy. The Ministry's strategy has placed particular emphasis on expanding the coverage of health services (with its major aspects: preventive, curative and rehabilitative) to reach all citizens, and promote the accessibility and feasibility of health services.
The Ministry of Health is currently witnessing unprecedented development and paramount paradigm shift in all health services and facilities, which are entirely harnessed for maintaining patients' health and gaining their satisfaction. It has carried out many programs meant to serve patients, and bring into effect the MOH's slogan: “Patient First”. Aiming to invest in the Saudi citizen, the Ministry has embraced a number of programs, and allocated the necessary funds for them, including the establishing and developing of medical cities, specialist and general hospitals, and medical towers erected under Royal Decrees. These projects cover the whole Saudi land, and are projected to give rise to the health services provide throughout the Kingdom.
Strategic Plan:
The Ministry of Health has launched its ten-year Strategic Plan (2010-2020) under the slogan: “Patient First”, with the aim to take a closer look at reality, and identify the shortcomings and failings of the health system, thus helping develop this system and raising the level of the health services provided by the Ministry to the level adopted by the developed world. The plan was the fruit of the elaborate debates, discussions, studies, researches and workshops which were organized over twelve complete months prior to adopting the plan.
The Ministry's Strategic plan seeks to enact the approach of the integrated and comprehensive health care, with particular emphasis on the practical aspect. One of the objectives assigned to this plan, also, is to entrench the culture of institutional work, enhance quality, oversee performance, and attract highly qualified cadres. That's to be added to the development of human resources, e-health and information systems. It targets, besides, maintaining the optimal exploitation of resources and putting into action the methodology of health economics.
Five Integrated Referential Medical Cities:
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has embarked on establishing a number of medical cities in some regions, which reiterates the right pursuit adopted by the Leadership in maintaining people's health and well-being, by providing sound health services for them. Medical cities are reckoned a precious addition to the system of health services, basically meant to provide fourth-degree services. These cities are corresponding with the population density, and quality standards, with a view to offer high-quality health care. By the end of work on these cities, the number of referential beds expected to be added is about 6200 beds.
The projects related to medical cities include the expansion of King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh (offering its services to the Central Region), King Abdullah Medical City, Makkah (offering its services to the Western Region), King Faisal Medical City (offering its services to the Southern Region), King Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Medical City (offering its services to the Northern Region), and King Khaled Medical City (offering its services to the Eastern Region). Each of these medical cities encompasses a set of specialist hospitals, in addition to centers specialized in oncology, neurology, serious cardiac surgeries, radiotherapy, organ transplantation, and ophthalmology, among many other specialties.
The Ministry has accomplished the designs and schemes of all cities, and prepared a clear vision for its work, such that fulfills the Leaders' aspirations, and spares patients the suffering of travel, by allowing them to receive treatment in their respective regions. Medical cities will contribute, also, to supporting health services in a way that meets the demands and needs of our beloved Kingdom. It is noteworthy, these cities come within the framework of the National Project for Integrated and Comprehensive Health Care. The Ministry has recently signed contracts for the supervision of the establishing of the medical cities.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, May Allah protect him, has given his directions to allocate as wide a land as 3.5 million square meters for establishing King Abdullah Medical City along the highway between Makkah and Jeddah, located in Al-Shemaisi. The necessary funds have been allocated as well.
Due to the financial and administrative independence of these medical cities and specialist hospitals, the Ministry has been keen to provide the administrative environment appropriate for a vigorous workflow, and make optimal use of their potentials and capabilities. That's to be carried out by way of a unified board of directors, presided over by His Excellency the Minister of Health, in cooperation with the relevant ministries, in order for this board to be the only determinant authority which drives the work of these cities and hospitals towards the sought-after destination. The board has already made significant achievements, including, but not limited to, the unification and accreditation of regulations.
New Administrative & Health Programs:
The health services provided in the Kingdom of Humanity (Saudi Arabia) have witnessed a paradigm shift over the past few years. The Ministry of Health has introduced new and first-of-its-kind programs with a view to serving citizens and improving the Ministry's performance, quality and safety; as well as restructuring collective and institutional work and attracting distinguished cadres. Such pivotal developments went in line with creating and developing several departments. The MOH Public Relations and Health Awareness General Department plays a pivotal role in adopting the principle of transparency with patients and partnership with citizens. Following are the most significant programs and departments:
Patient Relations Program:
This program is considered a link between the Ministry of Health and citizens. It was created upon the desire of the Ministry of Health to reinforce and develop the communication process between it and the beneficiaries of its services in all MOH facilities through solving their problems and facilitating the process of obtaining the proper health services, which they need. It also helps survey the citizens with regard to the level of health services, which they obtain from the health facilities; in order to avoid any cons or obstacles that may occur. It is for this very reason that the program was created.
One of the tasks of the program is planning to develop the interaction mechanisms with the heath facilities' frequenters in terms of the patients and their relatives, which give them the opportunity to opine and make notes about the health services provided to them. Also, it is to prepare and develop policies and procedures of the work related to patient relations, and the mechanisms of addressing the patients' complaints; and their notes, with the aim of getting rid of all what leads to the patients' dissatisfaction. And it is to technically supervise the work of patient relations departments at the health affairs directorates, in the health regions and facilities affiliated to the Ministry and the private health sector. And it is to study patients' complaints referred to the program, and the notes made by the patient relations departments in the regions, and to work on solving them in coordination with the relevant bodies according to the approved procedures. In addition to this, it is to conduct statistical researches and studies which are concerned with gauging how satisfied the patients and their families are about the health services, in cooperation with the Research General Department. And it is to participate in all what is related to the patient relations in terms of committees, forums, and meetings at the Ministry. It is noteworthy, there are (1200) employees in all MOH hospitals working for this program. A hotline was introduced to receive the patients' complaints and a website for their opinions; in addition to setting up suggestion boxes at hospitals.
Bed Management and Day Surgery Program:
This program supports the work of obtaining a bed for the patient in emergency and routine cases, and the optimum usage for the available resources, in addition to the closest coordination to receive and refer illness cases, and to evaluate the results of the program work, and the need to increase the number of beds.
The program was initiated on 30/3/2009, and it covers all 100-bed MOH hospitals (and over). And a department supervising the Bed Management Program was introduced in all the Kingdom's health affairs directorates. It is supervised by one of the physicians with relevant expertise in such a field.
Also, a department coordinating the referral of cases at the Ministry of Health was introduced, working around the clock. Also, there are twenty emergency departments linked to it in all the directorates of the Kingdom's regions, which are tasked to find a bed for the patient in any of the Kingdom's health sectors. In addition to this, a department in the regions was introduced to support the peripheral regions and hospitals with the necessary specialized expertise through the running visits system in all the medical specialties, to the effect that the physicians move to such regions and hospitals to perform the necessary medical procedure rather than having the patient moved to them. And this gives powers for all health affairs directors to refer the patients of emergency cases to the private sector at the expense of the Ministry of Health, and to hire beds for the chronic illness cases to reduce the costs of treatment.
The Ministry has introduced the Day Surgery strategy in all MOH 100-bed hospitals, as the proportion of the participating MOH 100-bed hospitals in the Day Surgery program (and over) has reached 92%; and the number of day surgeries conducted has reached (135000) operations in more than (100) hospitals applying such a strategy. In addition to this, the bed usage has increased from (2,4) times to (5,7) times, and this amounts to 30% increase of the bed usage efficiency; and the average period of hospitalization period has reduced from (1,4) days to (3,5) days, thus saving about (12,5) of time. Currently, more than (800) employees work for the program, distributed throughout the Ministry's hospitals. Thanks to applying such a program, (338) beds, shut down in 1431h, was re-operated, and it contributed to moving (1957) patients, suffering from chronic diseases and detained at hospitals, to the Home Medicine Program.
The proportion of day surgeries has increased from 2% in 1430H to 35% this year, through which the patients have been served in addition to reducing waiting periods. Currently, the Ministry is studying measuring the ratio of bed numbers compared to the population number in all the Kingdom's regions; to reach a national rate of (3 beds for each 1000 persons), and to apply this ration in all the Kingdom's regions over the next five years.
Home Medicine Program:
Home medicine is an integral one to the traditional medicine provided by hospitals but not an alternative for it. In other words, such a program aims to provide the attainable, luxurious home health care services, and enhance the contribution of patients' families to following up their patients in their recovering, in a way that maintains their dignity without troubles, and leads to provide the hospital beds for new patients, who need them badly.
One of the program's tasks is to provide the medical care for the patients at their homes according to the treatment plan of the medical team qualified for such a service, and to assist the patients' families with regard to how to deal with their patients. The medical team periodically pay visits to the patients designated for such a service (such as the patients who need recreational or respiratory care, diabetic patients, clinical ulcer patients, or those who need tube feeding; or nervous system injuries and strokes patients).
Furthermore, the program is keen to provide supportive medical equipment and supplies according to the illness case, and presenting the health support, assistance, and education to the patient and their families. Such tasks are performed according to specific work mechanism and jobs for the medical teams, and according to the standards applied in the local and global health centers.
So far, the number of those who benefit from the program has reached (17000) patients, and the total number of the hospitals applying the program is (138) hospitals throughout the Kingdom's regions. The program serves patients with chronic diseases, strokes and paralysis, mental and neurological disorders, as well as aging diseases.
Furthermore, (216) mobile medical teams have been prepared; including physicians, nurses, and specialists, whereas the number of those working for such a service has reached (940) staff.
Medical Team Follow-up Program:
The Medical Team Follow-up Program is made up of a team of physicians, visiting hospitals to follow up the performance of the medical team, in terms of the physicians' productivity, postponing the patients' operations; and avoiding any delay in redeeming medicines, or admitting patients, or failing of the equipment; and neonatal care. And the medical team verifies that the hospital has properly performed its duty, detecting medical errors and following the approval of hospitals. To that end, the Ministry put all the hospitals under its approval and application for the global standards; and by the end of current year, there will be approval for some more hospitals - Allah willing.
Visiting Doctor Program:
The program aims at covering the shortage in the rare subspecialties, reinforcing the health care services provided for citizens where they live, and putting an end to the difficulties which some patients suffer from when frequenting to the central hospitals. This is carried out through recruiting distinctive constellations of international and local consulting physicians, holding international qualifications; in order to work at a number of the Ministry's hospitals in the Kingdom's various regions in light of the difficulty and restriction of permanently contracting, at the moment, with consulting physicians in some specialties for their scarcity.
The program has worked on recruiting the consulting physicians depending on two main pivots: first, the Saudi visiting consulting physicians. The program has made successes in recruiting distinctive constellations of Saudi consulting physicians; it has enabled to benefit from the local expertise in providing the health services which the citizens need at their homes. Secondly, the foreign visiting consulting physicians. The Ministry has signed an agreement with the College of Physicians & Surgeons Pakistan with the aim of providing a number of consulting physicians, in addition to attracting physicians from Egypt. And they have been distributed to the Ministry's several hospitals. They encompass specialties which the regions need, in addition to recruiting physicians from the Jordan, distributed to the northern regions of the Kingdom. Furthermore, the program has ended the contracting procedures with consulting physicians on mental health from the United Kingdom; and recruiting physicians from the United States of America, Sweden, Germany, and Australia. The number of those recruited to work temporarily has reached (1468) consulting physicians, who have been distributed to more than (50) cities in the Kingdom.
Negotiations are underway with regard to recruiting physicians and nurses for the critical departments from Canada to be distributed to the Ministry's hospitals. In addition, the University of Minnesota in the United Stated of America has implemented a training program for those working at neonatal departments at MOH's hospitals, to hone the performance of such departments and to raise the level of service to cope with the global standards. In addition to this, the program is to coordinate for a visit by some of the University's senior staff to discuss implementing a partnership program with King Saud Medical City; and the Spine Surgery Department at Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Hospital; and Oncology Department of King Fahad Specialist Hospital in Dammam, in addition to recruiting one of the distinctive consulting physicians on accidents and injuries; in order to introduce an injury unit in both King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital in Taif and Assir Central Hospital, and to train those working at them. Also, the program contributes to setting the protocols of work in line with the global standards.
Breast Cancer Early Detection Project:
The project aims at encouraging the women aging 45 years (and over) to detect breast cancer earlier, and to raise the proportion of detecting cases in their early stages. This project is to be applied in Riyadh as a first phase. It targets 10 thousands women; and it will be applied in all the Kingdom's regions in the second phase to become a national program covering all the Kingdom's women.
Medical Records Development Project:
The Ministry worked on setting measures and policies to deal with patients' medical records and to raise the performance level. The development of measures and policies has ended with regard to developing the patients' medical file and unifying its structure and contents at all MOH facilities, with unifying the medical models and setting the policies and procedures in terms of how to deal with them included. In addition to this, the Ministry has adopted the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) to make the name of diseases and the protocols governing dealing with them unified at all the Ministry's facilities, in line with the globally approved and applied standards.
MOH Projects:
Hospitals delivered and operated:
During such a prosperous, auspicious reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, May Allah protect him, several health projects of specialized medical cities, hospitals, and medical towers and centers have been operated, covering all the Kingdom's regions and provinces. The delivered projects include (20) diabetes centers and (11) dental centers throughout the entire Kingdom's regions. In addition to this, (11) regional laboratories and blood banks have been accomplished and delivered. And during this year (1433H), a number of (24) hospitals, with a total bed capacity of (4900) beds, have been delivered; out of which there are (14) new hospitals and (10) rehabilitation ones. Also, it is expected that 27 hospitals are to be delivered by the end of this year, with a total bed capacity of (4850) beds; more than 80% of its work has finished: of which there are (13) new hospitals and other (13) rehabilitation ones and national laboratories. Furthermore, 47 hospitals have been operated, with a bed capacity of (4770) over the past three years, and the total number of the Ministry's hospitals, currently, has reached 251 hospitals, with a total bed capacity of 351111beds.
Projects under Construction:
The number of developmental projects currently carried out by the Ministry of health is 156 health facilities, divided as such: 128 hospitals (with a total bed capacity of 28750 beds, including specialist hospitals, maternity and children hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, medical towers, in addition to four diabetes centers. That's to be added to 11 dental centers, aside from 13 projects of laboratories and blood banks. These projects cover all the Kingdom's regions and provinces. They are expected to raise the level of health services.
Projects of Primary Healthcare Centers:
The Ministry has operated 621 new primary healthcare centers over the past three years, and underway is the establishing of 706 health centers. The total number of health centers throughout the Kingdom is 2109 health centers.
The primary healthcare services include:
- Maternal and Child Health Program (looking after mothers' health before, during and after pregnancy).
- National Program for Asthma Diagnosis and Treatment
- Acute Respiratory Infections Control Program
- Care of Patients with Chronic Diseases Program.
Manpower and Training:
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has signed a number of agreements with the relevant and specialized institutions to train its employees at the General Administration and Health Affairs Institute at the National Guard, as well as King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences and the Saudi Heart Association.
The Ministry, emanating from its keen interest in the development of manpower programs, the MOH Training Center was created, and an independent program for leadership development was approved. The number of those who received training in 1432H was 132802 trainees of both genders, trained on all specialties and disciplines. Besides, about 600 physicians and nurses have been trained on how to improve the treatment of patients.
Moving on to external scholarships and internal missions, it should be noted that 2500 seats, distributed to five years (500 seats every year from 1432 to 1436 H). The total number of those currently on scholarships is 1424, in addition to 532 candidates. The Ministry was keen also to rise the mission opportunities to about 20%, thus allowing the greater bulk of MOH employees to benefit from such opportunities. The total number of those currently on mission is 2898 employees.
In addition, a unit was developed to attract health cadres, in order to contact these cadres, either directly or indirectly, through offices and corporations specialized in this domain in the countries which have no contracting committees (such as the US, and European countries). The unity has contacted and evaluated 300 physicians, over 100 out of whom have been already accepted, and 19 have arrived in the Kingdom, including 12 consultant physicians. As for the contracting development, a number of 32254 physicians and nurses over the past few years, divided as such: 14141 physicians (consultant, specialist and resident), and 18113 female nurses.
Quality Assurance:
In their quest for providing high-quality health services, 30 hospitals have been accredited by Central Board of Accreditation for Health Institutions. And right now, 60 hospitals are being prepared for the accreditation. The Ministry has also prepared 15 MOH hospitals for the JCI accreditation, out of which 10 hospitals have already obtained the accreditation. The remaining five hospitals will be assessed over the upcoming few months. Contracts have been signed with JCI to evaluate other ten hospitals. The Ministery, in addition, is working on preparing all regional laboratories, as well as 100 health centers, for accreditation.
Preventive Medicine:
The Ministry of Health, represented by the Public Health Agency, has introduced departments specialized in the monitoring and surveillance of infectious, parasitic and vendor-transmitted diseases, and preventing the advent of the triggers of such diseases. These departments are: Infectious Diseases Department, Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases Department, AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Program, vendor control departments, the departments of malaria, schistosomiasis and leishmaniasis, as well as the Portal Health Control Program to monitor the health situation of expiates.
The Ministry has set comprehensive health programs to achieve its preventive objectives; such as Expanded Immunization Program, Epidemiological Surveillance Program, Hajj Preventive Medicine Program, and Joint Diseases Control Program.
Furthermore, the number of the diseases targeted by expanded immunization vaccines, in the Kingdom in 1431H, reached 13 diseases compared to 5 diseases in 1399H, whereas the proportion of immunization reached 98% of the basic vaccines, leading to a major reduction in the rates of the targeted diseases in this program.
In addition, the Ministry of Health pays close attention to the immunization program since its inauguration, and the Kingdom, may Allah protect it, supported such an attitude, as evident in the fact that in 1399H (corresponding to 1979) the King's approval of linking the babies' birth certificate to a list of the targeted diseases that are to be immunized against was issued. And in 1991 the unification of the expanded immunization list took place in the entire health sector (both governmental and private).
The immunization program kept on developing and coping with all the latest in the field of vaccines, as in 2002 the integrated vaccines were used through the usage of bacterial quadruple vaccine with the goal to reduce the number of syringes administered. And the program leapfrogged during the last three years, as hepatitis (A), chickenpox, and streptococcus vaccines were introduced, in addition to meningitis vaccine.
And the Kingdom has entered into the phase of eradicating the measles, German measles (Rubella), and mumps. In the beginning of the current academic year, 1432H, the Ministry has launched a comprehenasive vaccination campaign against the measles, rubella, and mumps for 9 months to 24 years age group, and such a procedure will continue in the next years, Allah willing; in the home that such diseases will be eradicated from the Kingdom by the advent of 2015.
Laboratories and Blood Banks:
Saudi Center for Disease Control and Prevention
The government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, represented by the Ministry of Health, takes serious steps to establish the Saudi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Saudi CDC) under the umbrella of the Ministry of Health; which will play a vital, major role in controlling and monitoring the diseases, following in the footsteps of the distinctive role played by centers for disease control and prevention of Atlanta in the U.S., and this is among the health services system of the US Health and Human Services Department.
And such a center is to contribute greatly to serving the gulf and Arabian health concern, especially monitoring viruses and controlling the diseases in GCC states. Hence, the Saudi Center for Disease Control and Prevention is a serious boost in the march of the joint gulf work.
The importance of such a reference and specialized center is emanated from the preventive health services presented in the field of disease monitoring and controlling such as (scientific) International Health Center, Health and Occupational Safety Center, Immunization and Respiratory System Diseases Center, Joint and Emerging Diseases Center, Human Immunodeficiency Center; Hepatitis Viruses, Sexually-Transmitted Diseases; Tuberculosis Prevention, Non-infectious Diseases, Injuries, and Environmental Health Monitoring Units, and Birth Defects and Development Disabilities center. The Kingdom's project of Centre for Disease Control and Prevention is located in Banban region, to the northwest of Riyadh; at a total land area of 130,071,91km2, including the future expansions. And 67,675km2 out of its area was designated for the project; which as much as 85% of its building has finished so far.
Such a center aims at realizing the health goals related to the national policies and strategies for each state, raising and developing the capacities of those working at the health centers and laboratories, providing the health information bank and the technologies related to that. It also aims at early preparing and addressing of the diseases and outbreaks when emerging, gaining the abilities and opportunities to recognize what is discovered of new organisms causing diseases; and tackling them, and conducting researches to benefit from that in many aspects such as vaccines and others, and presenting consultations to other states (a both the regional and international levels).
Information Technology and Communications:
As part of the strategic plan of the electronic health, the Ministry is currently working on building and developing an integrated, consistent package of the technical and administrative programs in the field of health technology and information systems and electronic health, which aims at developing the health services performance, and providing comprehensive, integrated health electronic systems and environment of a high quality. Besides, the Ministry is currently working on implementing a plan to prepare the information technology infrastructure and the electronic health with all its facilities, another for medical referral system, one more plan on developing and automating the administrative and financial system of the Ministry, and other for developing medical provision systems and the medical equipment of the Ministry; and the directorates affiliated to it, and the great expansion for the scholarship programs, and the technical and administrative cadres training.
Furthermore, the Ministry has accomplished linking most of the Ministry's hospitals to an electronic system to register and follow up the serious medical incidents, which take place in hospitals within up to 48 hours; and working on linking the private sector hospitals will take place in the forthcoming period. Also, it has ended of a unified system of multi-media communications, allowing the user to receive the coming audio and visual messages and fax at their email or their cell-phones. The Ministry's 150.000 employees will be linked in the first phase. In addition to this, the Ministry has ended of introducing a system to gauge and register automatically the patient's satisfaction about the services presented to them in hospitals, and it will be applied through the Patient Relations Department within the months to come.
During the past period, two wireless communications networks have been set for Riyadh and the Western Region. They are made up of (300) ambulances, (300) manual equipments, (30) equipment for emergency rooms, (10) relay stations, and (4) command and control centers.
MOH Portal:
Within the framework of the strenuous, ongoing efforts exerted by the Ministry of Health in order to reinforce its health, administrative system, and the transparency it adopts, it has recently launched its portal with its new, developed look to serve as a window to the local community and the entire world. Such a portal enables all to have an access not only to the correct, trusted information but also to the answer to their inquiries and considering their suggestions and complaints. And it also enables the officials to familiarize the beneficiaries with all MOH services, and all the achievements accomplished. And they include the patients and their families, researchers, interested visitors, and scholars.
The portal is remarkable for its Arabic and English versions, which facilitate the respectable visitor's access to it; in order to reach their voice, opinion, and suggestion which matter all of the Ministry's officials, where several electronic services are presented. It is noteworthy that the Ministry's portal has obtained 99 out of 100 according to Yasser evaluation.
Finished Projects:
The Epidemiological Surveillance System, implemented during the 1430H Hajj season, aims at developing and installing field survey system through using the mobile devices and electronic Field Epidemiology Program.
Pre-marital Examination System aims at electronically providing pre-marital examination. Delivering such a service, tabulating appointments electronically, and using electronic fingerprinting are carried out via such a portal to document the candidate's data, as the latest technology available in such a field; in addition to linking the other relevant governmental bodies with such a portal in the second phase. The system also aims at automating soon-to-be marriage examination procedures to detect any disorder for a characteristic of some genetic blood diseases. This is intended to provide the medical counseling about the odds of transmitting such diseases to either marriage partner or their offspring in the future, and to give choices and alternatives for the fiancé and fiancée with the aim of helping them plan for a healthy, sound family.
Newborns Protection System (first phase) aims at applying neonatal protection system in 16 obstetrics and gynecology hospitals, and currently the final tests are being conducted to them.
Finding System for Missing Pilgrims Services: The Finding System for Missing Pilgrims Services (Ijad) aims at helping the pilgrims and officials at Tawaf (circumambulation) institutions and Hajj campaigns inform about the missing while performing the Hajj rituals, and searching for them in all the hospitals located in the places where the rituals are performed; along with notifying those who have reported the missing cases when their notifications match with the information of the persons who have been reported missing via the cell-phone or email.
Hajj Visiting Manpower Services: This service enables those who would like to join for the visiting labor force program during Hajj season to submit the employment applications electronically without the need to go personally to the Ministry. Applications will be received during specific months every year.
Bed Management Medical e-Project aims at facilitating the access to the information related to the beds and patients, bed requests and specializations management in an efficient, effective way; in addition to managing one-day and routine surgeries to facilitate work and reduce the effort. Furthermore, such a program provides obtaining of the most accurate reports and statistics on the medical beds.
Electronic Medical Reports System aims at developing the sending system of the medical reports of the foreign labor to the Passports General Directorate electronically, as it enables the health facilities to input the medical reports electronically and send them to the bodies concerned with the results of the reports such as passports.
Poison Control Project (Awtar) / first phase: aims at linking all the poison control centers in the Kingdom to a central electronic system, and the system provides a number of electronic services specialized in poison control field for the Ministry's employees , and those dealing with it.
Health Information System (HIS): The project aims at providing 59 MOH hospitals with new measures based upon health information system containing all the basic jobs. And it includes the registration, tabulation, patients' medical data summaries, and laboratory and examination results, x-ray and pharmacology unit results, in addition to ambulatory care clinics results. The system has been applied in 59 hospitals.
Critical Error Registration System: aims at developing critical errors system, through which the critical errors taking place at hospitals are registered, such as: (child-abduction, errors in blood transfusion, etc.), and reporting such errors to the MOH officials via SMS. This electronic system has been created to register and follow up the serious medical errors taking place at hospitals within up to 48 hours, and notify the officials immediately once the error occurs, with the aim to take the necessary action.
Hajj and Umrah Drivers Examination Program (Yaqiz): a specialized database, dubbed “Yaqiz” (attentive), has been launched at the MOH Portal containing the results of pilgrim bus drivers' examination. It aims at providing a database containing the names of the bus drivers, whose positive examination results have shown that they are doing one or some kinds of drugs, and upload it on the internet to facilitate the speedy access of information to the relevant bodies to take the appropriate action. In addition, the database is considered a source for the poison centers' work in both Makkah and Medinah, which aims at making sure that the bus drivers do not take any drug or doping substances, and who transport the Hajj pilgrims.
Currently, (11) programs are being implemented to serve patients. They are: X-ray Images e-Archiving System in 22 hospitals, Blood Banks Automatic System, Communicative Medicine System, Medical Licensing Services, Epidemiological and Infectious Diseases Prevention System (Panorama), Newborns Protection System (RFID) (second phase), Health Information System (HIS) for the rest of hospitals, E-Health Marketing and Communication Project; Patient Questionnaires, Citizen's Voice, and Poison Control System Project (Awtar) - second phase.
Work Development at Emergency Departments of Hospitals:
The Ministry has paid close attention to work development at emergency departments, as it has set up a technical committee to set the code of work policies and procedures at such departments. Code-setting has ended, in addition to creating a mechanism to transport the ambulatory, critical cases among health facilities. Besides, it includes setting up an office to coordinate the referral of emergent cases at Emergency Department of health affairs directorates in the regions and governorates, which in turn is linked to the main coordination office of the MOH Emergency General Department. And the system includes how to deal with the cases, admit them, and refer them to the health facility where the treatment is available, including private sector hospitals; according to specific regulations that guarantee the provision of the medical service as fast as required and in the proper place.
Meanwhile, (600) new ambulances have been delivered during the past two years as a first phase, and (300) ambulances this year as a second phase; to bring the total of the new ambulances to (900) ones.
Medical Supply and Equipment:
The Ministry of Health has developed the information centers of medicines and poisons, and has provided them with the globally-accredited programs to cope with the development of health services, as such centers have been provided with (Micromedex) program, in addition to preparing a project to develop pharmacological services through preparing the intravenous nutrition and solutions using the highest standards and safety.
Also, the Ministry has made a comprehensive review for the MOH Drug Formulary, and all the much-needed medicines for Emergency and Intensive Care have been provided to be a ready-to-use dose (and ready-to-use syringes), in addition to providing all the important items and making sure of achieving the quality associated with the best price.
In addition to this, the Ministry has completed the infrastructure in order to establish the main warehouses of the medical supply in the regions and governorates in hospitals to achieve medicinal security and to raise the accommodation capacity. A full study has been conducted to establish new model warehouses built in line with the high specifications. Meanwhile, establishing (29) warehouses has started in the first phase, and (100) warehouses will be built in the second phase. Also, an agreement has been reached with the majority of companies and suppliers to the effect that they will replace all the expired medicines, and those soon-to-be expired ones by newly-expired medicines. Thus, a great deal of waste has been stopped by damaging these items.
As far as the medical and non-medical equipment is concerned, the offered specifications of the medical equipment have been advanced in way that makes the specification unified (Generic Specification) for the equipment and with the highest global measures. And this includes all the global manufactured companies, providing all the regions with such specifications, and saving them via the computerized system. In addition to this, the standards of securing the medical equipment and obtaining the best equipment have been raised, and the guarantee period has been raised to become five years rather than two years as it formerly was. Last but not least, the tenders and bids have been reviewed and the Ministry has obtained medicine-price reduction by 20% of the prices offered two years ago. Therefore, hundreds of millions have been saved through activating such an important step.
Health Indicators:
The health indicators are used a lot to make comparisons between the current health status and the aspired-to goal to be attained. Statistics have shown that the total number of patients' visits for MOH primary healthcare centers in the last year reached 54, 52 million visits, whereas the patients' visits to the external clinics of MOH hospitals reached 11, 46 million visits. As such, this brings the visit total to clinics and centers to 66 million visits.
In addition to this, the total of the detained cases at MOH hospitals in 1432H reached 1.7 million cases, and the number of the surgical operations undergone in these hospitals in 1432H 430.000 operations, and the total of birth cases that took place at MOH hospitals over this year reached (256.690) cases.