health care: Reforming the Saudi health system
Reforming the Saudi health systemSystem of health care is the most important service in any country. Unlike
education , which begins when a child is around five to six years old,
is a service that begins even before the baby is born . The ultrasound is done and records are maintained from the beginning of conception. The health care for every human being does not stop until the person is dead. In short, you need to have health care for everyone all the time. People know who your health minister is , but only a few would know his trade minister .Saudi health system is unique in the world . It's
free and if treatment is not available in the UK , then the patient is
brought to the best medical facilities in the world , namely the United
States. And
sometimes , if scheduled flights of airlines that are not able to
provide the level of comfort that a patient requires the type of the
disease or are in need of medical attention during the flight , then a
private jet used to transfer the patient to medical personnel attending him. And
this service is a kind of plant which extends not only to the elite in
Saudi Arabia, although it is true that more elites are enjoying this
type of service because of their official positions , but I know that
the Saudis were patients moved to Houston Medical Center aboard private jets and are of the Saudi middle class. There are thousands of Saudis who had been transferred to the best medical centers in the U.S. as the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins . And
this service, the patient may be accompanied by a family member and the
person accompanying receive a daily allowance , while the patient is
being treated . For the information of readers, this type of service occurs only in Saudi Arabia and five other Gulf states. But there is a problem in the health system of any country. No matter what type of health system is provided , people always want more . So , why do people in Saudi Arabia want reform health care ?Saudi Arabia spent the highest percentage of its national budget in the system of health care . The budget of the Ministry of Health is billions . It is a huge budget that can match the entire national budget of many countries in the world . So what kind of reform is needed to achieve a qualitative change in the provision of health services?
Saudi Health Minister Abdullah Al- Rabeeah is one of the most qualified and experienced doctors in the UK . He has extensive education in both Saudi Arabia and the West. He is responsible for running hundreds of hospitals across the UK . And the budgets of some Saudi hospitals are also in billions .Despite all this , the country still faces many challenges with regard to the system of health care . One is that Saudi Arabia is a large country , with many towns and villages scattered everywhere and is witnessing a rapid growth of the population. The Saudi capital Riyadh alone has more than five million people. And it is very difficult and almost impossible to build a specialized medical center in all cities. Therefore, there is a real need to make drastic reforms on the way our health care is administered .At this stage, the Saudi health system is highly dependent on expatriates working in Saudi Arabia as we still need more Saudis and foreign staff of doctors and hospitals. Having a large number of foreign medical staff from different cultures makes it important that some of their needs are met .I'm no doctor , but it is very easy for any Saudi aware that the biggest challenge facing our health system is the management of hospitals and medical centers. Managing a hospital is one of the most difficult and demanding jobs in the world . And only the best should be assigned to these positions. Each degree of a hospital staff should be carefully considered. Because if the assets and hospital budgets are not managed properly , then the system of health care will be affected negatively.Moreover, the Ministry of Health should go for joint ventures with major medical centers in some of the countries that have been able to effectively and efficiently manage their health care systems for long periods of time. These countries have very advanced management of healthcare and technology, like the United States, Canada , Europe and Japan.Having joint ventures with known medical centers in the West help the Ministry of Health access to more qualified and will be in direct contact with the Saudi hospital staff , sharing their experiences with our hospital staff.Our health system is centralized Arabia and can leverage the same level of management in the UK . We have huge budgets for our health and we need joint ventures to build hospitals , equip and run professionally.Saudi Arabia at this stage can improve the capabilities of the major central medical centers in Riyadh , Jeddah and the Eastern Province and have them connect to other hospitals to monitor patients. Apart from this , doctors of major hospitals in big cities should also be implemented for a year or so , to smaller hospitals in small and distant to improve the delivery of health services in these places cities .And finally , it is very important to increase the amount of entertainment in hospitals , especially in the large medical complex . We do not expect a foreign doctor or nurse who comes to work in our medical facilities away from his family and expect them to change and go to their rooms to rest and then make the next turn. Entertainment can be used with small efforts . A private cinema for medical staff and their families can make a difference.And occasionally gathering or a trip to another city can raise the morale of the hospital staff , especially nurses . We all know about the hard work in hospitals. They work long hours, day and night . Hospital staff deserve the highest form of appreciation.
- This item is exclusive to Arab News.
almulhimnavy@hotmail.com
Saudi Health Minister Abdullah Al- Rabeeah is one of the most qualified and experienced doctors in the UK . He has extensive education in both Saudi Arabia and the West. He is responsible for running hundreds of hospitals across the UK . And the budgets of some Saudi hospitals are also in billions .Despite all this , the country still faces many challenges with regard to the system of health care . One is that Saudi Arabia is a large country , with many towns and villages scattered everywhere and is witnessing a rapid growth of the population. The Saudi capital Riyadh alone has more than five million people. And it is very difficult and almost impossible to build a specialized medical center in all cities. Therefore, there is a real need to make drastic reforms on the way our health care is administered .At this stage, the Saudi health system is highly dependent on expatriates working in Saudi Arabia as we still need more Saudis and foreign staff of doctors and hospitals. Having a large number of foreign medical staff from different cultures makes it important that some of their needs are met .I'm no doctor , but it is very easy for any Saudi aware that the biggest challenge facing our health system is the management of hospitals and medical centers. Managing a hospital is one of the most difficult and demanding jobs in the world . And only the best should be assigned to these positions. Each degree of a hospital staff should be carefully considered. Because if the assets and hospital budgets are not managed properly , then the system of health care will be affected negatively.Moreover, the Ministry of Health should go for joint ventures with major medical centers in some of the countries that have been able to effectively and efficiently manage their health care systems for long periods of time. These countries have very advanced management of healthcare and technology, like the United States, Canada , Europe and Japan.Having joint ventures with known medical centers in the West help the Ministry of Health access to more qualified and will be in direct contact with the Saudi hospital staff , sharing their experiences with our hospital staff.Our health system is centralized Arabia and can leverage the same level of management in the UK . We have huge budgets for our health and we need joint ventures to build hospitals , equip and run professionally.Saudi Arabia at this stage can improve the capabilities of the major central medical centers in Riyadh , Jeddah and the Eastern Province and have them connect to other hospitals to monitor patients. Apart from this , doctors of major hospitals in big cities should also be implemented for a year or so , to smaller hospitals in small and distant to improve the delivery of health services in these places cities .And finally , it is very important to increase the amount of entertainment in hospitals , especially in the large medical complex . We do not expect a foreign doctor or nurse who comes to work in our medical facilities away from his family and expect them to change and go to their rooms to rest and then make the next turn. Entertainment can be used with small efforts . A private cinema for medical staff and their families can make a difference.And occasionally gathering or a trip to another city can raise the morale of the hospital staff , especially nurses . We all know about the hard work in hospitals. They work long hours, day and night . Hospital staff deserve the highest form of appreciation.
- This item is exclusive to Arab News.
almulhimnavy@hotmail.com
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