Public Health Measure in Saudi Arabia: Analysis and Improvements

This discussion post analyzes a public health measure implemented in Saudi Arabia, focusing on the country's commitment to healthcare as a fundamental right. The assignment examines the National Development Plan's emphasis on health, detailing the government's investments in accessible healthcare. It traces the evolution of the healthcare system, highlighting the development of strategic plans by the Ministry of Health (MoH) to improve primary care facilities, increase health coverage, and ensure equal access. The post discusses the philosophy behind the policies, aiming to improve primary care services and address challenges like chronic diseases and the need for an enhanced e-health system. It assesses the effectiveness of these measures, considering factors like remote access and awareness, and suggests areas for improvement, particularly in the development of electronic health systems within primary care settings. References include works by Khaliq (2012) and Al Asmri et al. (2019), supporting the analysis with scholarly evidence. This is an example of a solved assignment available on Desklib.

Running Head: PUBLIC HEALTH
NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

1PUBLIC HEALTH
Identify a public health measure that has been implemented in Saudi Arabia. Describe its
origin and the philosophy behind this measure. Detail how it has affected citizens. In your
opinion, has the measure been effective? Why or why not? How could it be improved?
As per the constitution of Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, it is the fundamental right of every
citizen to get access to proper health care facilities. The National Development plan had
emphasized on the health development of the population of KSA as one of the important areas of
the government (Khaliq, 2012). Since, the development of the nation, the government of KSA
has always invested a lot in providing good and affordable health care facilities to the clients. It
has provided the universal access to health care facilities to most of the people. The government
of KSA had developed strategic Plan for the Ministry of Health (MoH) for overcoming the
challenges. The main aim of the strategy is to improve the infrastructure of the primary care
facilities in Saudi Arabia, to increase the health coverage of most of the residents of KSA, to
increase the funding of the primary care services, to ensure that all the residents of the KSA are
get equal access to the health care facilities.
The context of the development of this plan can be dated back to the year 1949, when a a
small number of medical staffs and fewer hospital beds. Since, then the Kingdom Of Saudi
Arabia had made several progress in the organization of the health care system. Major
developments have been bought in every sectors of health in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
However, it has been reported that in spite of the progress made in the health care sectors
(Khaliq, 2012). The primary care sector had remained neglected. There was no e-health system
which led to the repeated occurrence of the clinical errors. The main philosophy of the policy is

2PUBLIC HEALTH
to improve the primary care services and the overall medical services in KSA. Since, the
publishing of the policy, the MOH provides 60 % of the health service facilities free of cost, via
13 health directorates. 20 % of the health care facilities are delivered free of cost via government
agencies (Al Asmri et al. 2019). Another objective of strategic Planning is to counter the
challenges posed by chronic diseases, poor electronic health system, poor coordination between
the health care sectors and lack of a centralized structure. The remaining is provided by the non-
government agencies. The Medical education has also developed largely. The total budget of the
primary care sectors has been increased. In spite of the large number of the resources, it can be
found that a percentage of population is still deprived of the primary care service probably due to
the remoteness , lack of awareness. Moe focus should be given to the development of the
electronic health system developed in the primary health care settings or other clinical settings.

3PUBLIC HEALTH
References
Al Asmri, M., Almalki, M. J., Fitzgerald, G., & Clark, M. (2019). The public healthcare system
and primary care services in Saudi Arabia: a system in transition. East Mediterr Health J,
25.
Khaliq, A. A. (2012). The Saudi health care system: a view from the minaret. World health &
population, 13(3), 52-64.