The Assistant Agency for Primary Healthcare has launched an initiative dubbed «We Are with You» for serving the deaf and overcoming the barriers between the doctor and patient, particularly the language barrier, which prevents the deaf form receiving high quality healthcare services at MOH's facilities.
According to recent statistics by the General Authority for Statistics, there are around 229,541 deaf people in the Kingdom, who are greatly ignored particularly at public departments and places due to lack of interpreters.
In line with its keenness to achieve the Saudi Vision 2030, particularly supporting this category, MOH has urged its implementation across the Kingdom's regions by raising MOH's staff awareness about the deaf community and ways to deal with them, as well as training them on sign language's rules and basics.
Objectives:
- Building bridges of communication with deaf and hearing-impaired people both inside and outside the facility by bridging the gap between the deaf and service providers.
- Raising awareness among the deaf about their health rights and duties.
- Disseminating the sign language and including it in all awreness fields.
- Engaging in the deaf interests and incorporating them into community.
- Improving the quality of health services and making them more comprehensive.
- Keeping pace with the health and cultural development in the Kingdom by acquainting community members with the sign language.