RIYADH: The Ministry of Health will set up separate departments for family health, public relations and the rights of health officials to boost patient-friendly services throughout the Kingdom.
Announcing a series of reforms within his ministry, Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said that the new departments are aimed at providing the best patient care throughout the Kingdom.
“The new departments will have set guidelines designed to offer the best medical services to ensure patient satisfaction,” said Al-Rabeeah. He added that the new departments would provide pragmatic solutions to patient problems and enhance friendly relationship between patients and health care personnel.
The minister will receive progress reports from the new departments through their respective coordinators. He added that family health is an important component of the services provided by the ministry and that it is being given top priority.
“To enhance the functions at the new Department for Family Health, we may, if necessary, recruit more qualified professionals. Dr. Mohammed Al-Khoshaimi, adviser to the minister on health affairs, will be the coordinator of the project,” the minister said. The existing primary health care centers (PHCs) are being converted into Family Health Centers with added facilities and personnel. General practitioners at PHCs are being replaced with family doctors, he said.
The Department of Public Relations will explore new ways of bridging the gap between patients and health officials. “Awareness campaigns to prevent and control the spread of diseases will be organized by this department, which would function with a new vision,” he added.
The minister said there would be a project under the leadership of Dr. Mansour Al-Hawasi, deputy minister of health for executive affairs, to look after home health care services.
The minister said the new changes are being made to provide all Saudi families access to a family doctor.
The doctor-patient ratio currently in the Kingdom is 1:4,000; the program intends to bring this down to 1:400. Some 50,000 physicians are currently working in the Kingdom serving a population of 26 million. In the primary health care sector alone, there are 10,000 physicians working in the government, public and private sectors.
