The Ministry of Health (MoH) is preparing for a huge countrywide health awareness campaign as part of a long-term “Health Integrated Project” aimed at boosting the country's health system, according to Dr. Khaled Marghalani, the ministry's spokesperson. Marghalani said the ambitious project will be launched after a comprehensive study on all aspects of the Saudi public health system is conducted in partnership with private sector companies. The project will have to be approved by the Council of Ministers. Marghalani said Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeah, the health minister, is spearheading the project that also includes training for health personnel. Marghalani was the chief guest at a workshop organized in cooperation with General Electric El-Seif Healthcare Arabia Co., Ltd. (GE) in Riyadh Tuesday. Majid A. Kaddoumi, Country General Manager and Ali Saleh, General Manager, Market Development for MEA, GE Healthcare Arabia were also present. The MoH and GE signed a strategic cooperation agreement aimed at supporting the country's goal to build a sustainable healthcare model called “healthymagination”. A wide range of initiatives will be undertaken which include a Healthcare Learning Institute, advisory services on hospital design and learning programs. Marghalani said as part of the agreement the first initiative is to conduct research. GE successfully completed a preliminary research study last month. The study targeted 600 male and female Saudi nationals between the ages of 20 and 45, in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. “To keep the proposed project on the right track, the first step will be to conduct a comprehensive research study aimed at finding statistical information on Saudi health problems. We will then evaluate the study before integrating other areas such as human resources and infrastructure development among other things,” Marghalani said. The study is aimed at understanding Saudi health habits, different diseases, doctor-patient relations, lifestyles, and people's perception of their health. During face-to-face interviews, using a structured questionnaire, the study found that about 70 percent of the people felt that they were at their ideal weight. However, it was found that 39 percent considered themselves as being at an “ideal” weight despite being either overweight or obese. While 91 percent of those interviewed said that they were either in “excellent or good health”, 58 percent of them were either overweight or obese. A total of 42 percent of the respondents said their eating habits were “very or somewhat healthy”, while the study found that around 28 percent of them were either overweight or obese. The overall perception of eating habits being “very healthy” was significantly lower among female respondents. The study found doctors playing a significant role as “the most consulted” as well as “the most trusted” source of information regarding “various health related aspects”. An overwhelming number, about 96 percent of Saudis, said they consult doctors for information on various diseases, 68 percent for information on health foods and beverages and 80 percent on health-related activities. According to Saleh, GE Health Arabia will launch training programs for health personnel starting March 2011. The training program, entitled “Leadership, Innovation and Growth” (LIG) will offer training to health personnel from the MoH and National Guard hospitals. The training will be conducted by American health experts in New York and Riyadh. Under its corporate social responsibility program, GE Health Arabia is also building a training facility in Riyadh, he said. As a prelude to the national health awareness campaign, the MoH and GE have jointly developed health tips in the form of the numbers 0, 5, 10 and 25. Zero stands for ‘no-smoking', 5 denotes five vegetables, 10 stands for 10,000 steps taken on a daily basis and the number 25 as an ideal body mass index (BMI). The numbers will be printed on brochures.
