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Saudi Arabia: Sultan lauds efforts to contain infectious diseases

RIYADH: Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, congratulated Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah and his team of health officials on Sunday for successfully containing infectious diseases in the Kingdom.

"We appreciate your noble efforts taken for the effective control of infectious diseases in the Kingdom," said the crown prince in a letter to Al-Rabeeah. He added that people have witnessed a remarkable decline in the spread of infectious diseases across the Kingdom due to the health officials' efforts.

Al-Rabeeah said the commendation from Prince Sultan was based on the ministry's annual report on infectious diseases. He added that the success of the preventive program is mainly due to the organized vaccination campaign to combat at least 11 infectious diseases across the country.

Last year, the incidence of infectious diseases such as diphtheria, whooping cough, neo-natal tetanus, measles, German measles, hepatitis, tuberculosis and dengue were brought to the lowest level. Other diseases such as AIDS, malaria, swine flu, bird flu and Rift Valley fever were also brought under control by timely intervention.

Under a new scheme introduced by the ministry last year, patients need not travel from region to region in search for better medical care except in rare circumstances since health facilities and needed professionals are available in all regions. Emergency rooms have been set up on a 24-hour basis in all health institutions, including the regional health directorates, from where patients can be transferred to emergency care in other cities.

Air ambulances are also available to patients who need to be urgently transferred from one region to another.

Al-Rabeeah said the vision of the ministry is to deliver comprehensive health care at individual, family and community levels, maintaining services both in quantity and quality and in particular to help the elderly and those with special needs.

Article 31 of the Saudi Basic Law of Governance is concerned with public health and provision of health care.

Al-Rabeeah said health services have witnessed great developments at the preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitation levels. The average annual number of patients consulting ministry facilities has exceeded 60 million, a figure that may increase to 75 million in the near future.

The doctor-patient ratio currently in the Kingdom is 1:4,000, but the program intends to bring this down to 1:400. Some 50,000 physicians are currently working in the Kingdom. There are 10,000 physicians working in the government, public and private sectors in the primary care sector alone.

The ministry has added four specialized centers for treating AIDS patients in Asir, Madinah, Jouf and Ahsa.

It has also established 20 consultative optional clinics for those who want to check AIDS confidentially.

In addition, 55 centers for detecting TB have been established and another 35 centers are expected to be added in the coming years. In the Kingdom, the potential for curing this disease is 85 percent and its rate of detection is 75 percent.

By MD Rasooldeen

© Arab News 2010