Advancing the level of the health services on the field of epidemic studying and controlling which the Ministry of Health (MOH) provides in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's different regions, delivering national, qualified cadres of public health Master's degree holders and field epidemiology diplomas; to fill in the needs of the MOH prevention sector in all regions and to have them replace the foreign cadres.
First Objective
Training the health cadres, and qualifying them to obtain the Master's degree and diploma certificate in epidemiology; with the aim of securing national, qualified cadres that advances the health services, encouraging the participation of trainers from the Gulf States, and providing the best ways for training.
Target:
Training as many as 10-12 students annually for obtaining a Master's degree on the public health, epidemiology department.
Training as many as 8-10 students annually to be awarded a diploma in field epidemiology.
- Securing adequate number of trainers and consultants, and contracting with the specialized and technical experts providing there is a consultant and a trainer at least for each three students; so as to guarantee the highest level possible in terms of training and follow-up during training period.
- Drawing on the local and international expertise in terms of training the students during the period of enrollment for the Program
- Providing the latest scientific references in the library to create an opportunity for those working on the Program and trainers to have a look on the latest
- Releasing the quarterly epidemiology bulletin with the aim of assisting researchers and decision makers to obtain information on the health problems in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, related to the epidemiological detection for diseases
- Issuing the guidelines and the national plans for addressing the top-prioritized health problems
Second Objective:
Upgrading the efficiency of the health workers belonging to the epidemiology control field; through in-service training and rehabilitation programs, and training them on the latest in the field of the health and prevention services, and designing and implementing training programs that address the top-prioritized health problems and meet the needs of the health workers.
Target:
Implementing 12 training courses annually targeting 300 trainers in all health regions, and preparing the proper training guidelines; to guarantee the quality of the performance.
Third Objective:
Encouraging studies that are meant for tackling the outstanding health problems in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; with the aim of identifying their dimensions and ways of properly addressing them.
Target:
- Each trainer joining the Program is to conduct at least three epidemiology studies during their training period.
- The Program is to conduct epidemiology studies through collective effort for workers and trainers, and according to the health priorities and the latest problems.
- Carrying out scientific studies targeting the health problems during the Hajj season in a way that guarantees security and safety for the Hajj performers against epidemics and health problems.
- Conducting or taking part in the epidemiological surveillance on the epidemics and the health outbreaks related to the infectious and non-infectious diseases that could afflict some community group or a specific area wherever it is within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with defining reasons, ways of addressing, and lessons learnt to avoid them in the future.
- Holding an annual scientific conference at which the findings of the studies conducted by the Program are displayed.
- Submitting an annual report including a summary and a review for what has been done in terms of researches, and the recommendations issued on them to the MOH Public Health Agency.
- Having studies take part at the international, regional, and local conferences, exchanging experience with the international, regional, and local institutions concerned with the scientific studies for the pressing health problems, and publishing findings of the studies in the scientific local and international forums and journals.
Fourth Objective:
Promoting and setting the fundamentals of cooperation between expertise within and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and drawing on the remarkable expertise in the training field for the Program's trainers, and documenting cooperation between the program and the regional and international scientific bodies in the epidemiology field and public health.
Target:
supporting cooperation, and creating training channels with some reputable and worldly-seasoned foreign bodies, such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, the United States of America (the U.S.A); with the aim of exchanging expertise and achieving the highest level possible of quality, as well as the academic collaboration with the college of medicine, King Saud University, on the epidemiology diploma and Master's degree.