RiyadhCiti.com » Health & Fitness

A Guide to Saudi Arabia: health care

admin — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:24:51 +0000

Saudi Arabia’s health system compares well with the West, but there is still room for improvement.

In Saudi Arabia a Westerner emerging from an anaesthetic haze after surgery might for a moment imagine he is back in his home state. The kingdom’s top hospitals are staffed largely by expatriates, use high-quality, imported surgical and diagnostic gear and follow the protocol used in leading American hospitals.

The country has made considerable efforts to make such facilities available to its indigenous population and its six million expatriates. Even so, there is room for improvement.

The country with a quarter of the world’s known petroleum reserves could have better life expectancy than 75.4 years. (Men 73.4, women 77.5).

Infant mortality at 13 deaths per 1,000 live births may be better than most Middle East states, but the figure remains more than twice the average for Western Europe.

Health care for all

An adequate network of about 2,000 primary health care centres has been set up across the country. This followed a royal decree in 2002 calling for improved, fair provision of care for all. Hospitals generally perform to standards in Europe or the United States.

In addition, more than 200 hospitals have adopted a referral system which integrates with the primary care network and specialist curative services, covering all members of society.

The extensive King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh is the main tertiary referral centre for the country’s 27 million citizens. It specialises in diabetes management and neurosciences, and has an advanced haematology and cancer centre. There is also a rehabilitation centre and specialist hospitals for women and children.

Another service, also in the capital, is the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital. It is the major unit for eye trouble but also runs outreach, educational and research programmes.

To fund these services, the kingdom has invested more in health than most states in the region. Spending as a proportion of the total national budget has more than doubled since the 1970s. Saudi Arabia now has two practising doctors per 1,000 people (The UK has 2.5/1,000).

Compulsory insurance

In 2005, the kingdom recognised that free health care for foreign nationals was unsustainable, and introduced compulsory medical insurance. The move was later adopted in other parts of the Gulf and widely in Europe.

With one in five people an expatriate, and most of those associated with the oil industry, locals complained that foreigners were swamping the system. Large companies were obliged to buy health cover for their employees. These regulations were strengthened in 2008.

The move to compulsory cover was well advertised in advance. So it was hardly surprising that insurance companies should find themselves in a hot market as they struggled to establish. For the international community, this competition was good news.

Some insurers complained that competitors were offering premiums for group business so low they could only sustain a loss. But “buying business” or market share is sometimes done in the hope of keeping the client, hiking annual premiums and finally turning an honest buck. But the market was so fierce, some insurers were forced to pull out.

While individually bought health insurance rates are widely advertised, no such openness applied to corporate business. Transparency was (and remains) non-existent as insurers cut deals in a series of beauty contests before employers.

Big corporates can always use their leverage to win exceptional deals, especially if they take some of the paperwork in-house, cutting overheads for the insurer.

The lesson for individuals

Thus, anyone working for a company, even temporarily, should make sure cover is arranged and paid for by their employer.

Providers

Among the main insurers are Bupa Saudi Arabia, co-operative insurerTawuniya and MedGulf Arabia, another mutual.

Bupa Saudi Arabia – which handles business across the region – insures more than a million people. Dr Sneh Khemka, medical director of Bupa International, of which the Saudi operation is an offshoot, said: “Along with the increase (in sales following compulsory cover) we’ve seen a huge increase in our local capabilities and the way we deal with and interact with local (health care) providers.”

However, Dr Khemka contends that the cut-throat market that prevailed among insurers in 2005 – when such a huge market was opened by the element of compulsion – remains good for individual buyers.

“They are still getting very cost-effective prices in the region and there’s great provision in the metropolitan centres of Riyadh and Jeddah – but the huge increase has come in the corporate market,” he said.

Emergency evacuation

Despite plenty of high-quality local medical care, Dr Khemka says most clients still opt for emergency evacuation cover.

“A lot of people buy it for peace of mind and as a solution to getting their employees out of the country in case of political instability,” he said.

However, while emergency medical evacuation is available under Bupa International plans, political evacuation cover depends on the corporate policyholder buying an additional benefit. This allows the security company, International SOS and Control Risks, to extract expatriates in the event of civil unrest – as happened with several hundred policyholders in Libya in February 2011 and other “Arab Spring” states.

London pull

Naturally, the Saudi Arabian population – expat or indigenous – turns first to local health facilities although the United Arab Emirates is a popular destination for health care.

But for half a century, leading private hospitals in London have been treating patients from the Gulf. Sometimes the pull of London has to do with matters other than medical.

Dr Khemka said: “A lot of them are coming to the UK. We have the Cromwell hospital where 47 per cent of our customers are of Middle East origin. If you are diagnosed with cancer or one of the more serious long-term conditions, people often seek help away from Saudi Arabia.”

He maintains there is first-rate care for basic, primary, secondary and tertiary needs in Saudi Arabia. “But when it comes to super-specialist care or wanting to access centres of excellence, we find the customer often wants to go outside Saudi, initially to Western Europe, particularly London – and that’s as much to do with familiarity of the geography as medical need.”

‘Insure’ says Foreign Office

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) stresses the need for insurance even for those staying briefly in Saudi Arabia. It states: “You should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance for the whole duration of your proposed trip before travelling.” It warns that hospitals may refuse treatment if a patient is uninsured or cannot pay in advance.

What it costs

Compared with international medical insurance premiums in other parts of the Middle and Far East, premiums in Saudi Arabia are reasonable. Market rivalry has had some effect. A person aged 32 would pay an annual premium of £888 in Saudi Arabia with Aviva International Solutions’ comprehensive plan (budget £799). For comparison, Aviva’s identical cover in Singapore costs half as much again – an additional £483.

Other providers are similarly priced, with AxaPPP at £1,021 comprehensive (budget £798). Medicare’s International Plus plan costs £1,421 (budget £1,075).

Insurance adviser Stephen Walker quoted prices for a couple aged 41 and 39, and again Aviva was cheapest at £1,954 comprehensive (£1,759 budget). The only other providers under £3,000 were AxaPPP at £2,384 (budget £1,864) and IMG at £2,529 (budget £1,477).

Health warnings

The FCO alerts Britons to the dangers of Rift Valley fever in south-west Saudi Arabia, mainly in the Jizan area. It says: “There have also been cases of cerebral malaria but only in Jizan itself. The outbreaks of cerebral malaria are local and do not affect Jeddah or any other areas of Saudi Arabia.”

Those intending to visit the Jizan region, should seek advice on Rift Valley fever and cerebral malaria before travelling. There were several cases of dengue fever in Jeddah in 2010. The FCO urges “sensible precautions to avoid mosquito bites”.

Vaccination

UK health authorities advise people going to Saudi Arabia to vaccinate against yellow fever, diphtheria (three months before travel), hepatitis A and B, rabies (in some cases) tetanus and – for those at risk – typhoid. Diseases not preventable by vaccine but by other means include malaria, schistosomiasis and dengue fever.

The National Travel Health Network and Centre advises that contagious diseases spread quickly, particularly during Hajj and Ramadan. During the period of Hajj and Umrah, visa requirements for Saudi Arabia mean pilgrims must have a valid certificate of vaccination against strains of meningitis.

With summer temperatures in central Saudi Arabia hitting as high as 45C, respiratory problems, aggravated by dust, are common.

Terrorism

The FCO repeatedly warns the expatriate community about the risk of terrorism. It says that Saudi Arabian courts convicted more than 700 people for involvement in terrorism in 2010. Westerners remain vulnerable. Oil infrastructure and aviation are among the possible targets.

“All British nationals should continue to exercise a high level of vigilance, particularly in public places, and take sensible precautions for your safety. You should avoid any large gatherings or demonstrations.”

Bold step

Saudi Arabia had little option but to make medical cover compulsory for its international community. It led the way. For employers who were not already insuring their staff, the added cost has not been as bad as many might have feared. Competition forced insurers to turn a potentially lucrative business into a buyers’ market. Relatively low insurance rates continue.

This article was originally published in the Telegraph, Weekly World Edition

Boots, a UK-based drugstore chain opens in Jeddah

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 23:28:06 +0000

Boots, a UK-based drugstore chain and a subsidiary of Alliance Boots, has opened a new store in the Mall of Arabia, Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, reported Business Intelligence Middle East. The new store marks the retailer’s 43rd branded outlet in the Middle East region.

The new 200sqm store offers a selection of various healthcare, skincare products and toiletries.

Andrew Powell, regional manager of the company, was quoted by the news source as saying: “Our new store in Jeddah offers customers a new experience in healthcare shopping and builds on the success of our existing operations across the Middle East. We now look forward to expanding our footprint across Saudi Arabia in the future.”

Gordon Farquhar, managing director of the company, as quoted by the news source, said: “Moving into Saudi Arabia is part of our continued strategy to making Boots a truly international brand. This new store will enable us to provide customers with an opportunity to enjoy the perfect one-stop shopping experience and benefit from our health and beauty expertise.”

Autism Awareness Week + Epilepsy Workshop

admin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:03:18 +0000

Austism Awareness Week

Organizer: King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) in cooperation with Saudi Autistic Society
Period: 2
From: 03-04-2010 To: 04-04-2010
Location: Dr. Samir bin Huraib Auditorium, King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC)
City: Riyadh
Under Auspices: Dr. Bandar Al-Kinawi, Executive Director of National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA) and President of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences

The Autism Awareness Week 2010 will include educational activities for healthcare professionals, family and community such as lectures with CME hours, workshops, exhibitions and educational materials (stands, banners, booklets, brochures, leaflets, etc).

Contacts:
Phone: 0096612520088
Email: autism@ngha.med.sa Event URL: http://www.ngha.med.sa

Map:

Epilepsy Workshop

Organizer: Epilepsy Support and Information Centre (ESIC) in cooperation with King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC)
Period: 1
From: 03-04-2010 To: 03-04-2010
Location: Postgraduate Auditorium, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC)
City: Riyadh
The Epilepsy Update Workshop 2010 will be held under the title “The Power of Antiepileptic”. The key topics to be covered include: provoked or non-provoked, focal epilepsy, generalized epilepsies, status epileptics, dealing with epilepsy patients, and managing epilepsy patients from a nurse prospective. The year 2010 epilepsy update targets various groups, including nurses, primary health care physicians, general doctors, clinical doctors, pediatricians, emergency physicians, residents, medical students, and epilepsy healthcare specialists. The workshop is accredited by Saudi Council for Health Specialties for 6 hours Continuing Medical Education.

Contacts:
Phone: 0096614647272
Fax: 0096614424755
Email: epilepsy@epilepsyinarabic.com
Event URL: http://www.epilepsyinarabic.com

Map:

Saudi Doctor calls for compulsory rule to put children in car seats

admin — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:10:14 +0000

Saudi Arabia called for an advisory need to activate the law and mandatory to place the child under the age of 5 years the chair back and fasten seat belt “SETE charr” in the vehicle and give fines for offenders.

Said Dr. Maha Al Executive Director of the Family Safety Program through the intervention yesterday in the First World Conference pediatric emergency medicine and the prevention of injuries and disabilities, organized by King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh and wound up yesterday at the King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh: “You must be social institutions in turn provide Voluntary seats for children in the car and distributed to hospitals, women and child birth he put the place right under the mortality rate during the incidents to 200%. ”

She added: “The status of the child in the lap of his mother or his father while driving, they set the child air cushion in the event of a traffic accident and therefore keep the child as a shield to protect and this is a great danger.”

She drew Dr. Maha Almunif to a remarkable rise to the emergency physicians and their knowledge of cases of violence against children and said in this regard: “There is good improvement with an awareness and 38 centers for child protection but there is still lack of reporting of cases.

For his part, Dr. Mohamed Alfaifi President of the Organizing Committee for the Global Conference pediatric emergency medicine and the prevention of injuries and disabilities that the number of medical specialists in pediatric emergency medicine Kingdom does not exceed the 30 doctors and most doctors in specialized hospitals are the specialties of pediatrics without specialization of emergency and in need of fellowship and training in this specialty.

He attributed the reason for the lack of pediatric emergency medicine doctors for being a new specialty, said: “It was the last period of emergency medicine covers adult children, but 20 years ago in the developed world in America and Canada established a new section under the name of emergency medicine to children, they found that a child needs to separate this specialization.

And Dr. Alfaifi that the Kingdom needed to 10 thousand doctors specializing in pediatric emergency medicine, pointing out that each year apply for the Fellowship of the Interior of Saudi more than 7 doctors only.

To bring up the Conference over the days, which was adopted by the health disciplines about 30 hours of continuing medical education and the American Academy of Medicine Continuing Education with 31 hours in the future and assess the current status of the emergency departments of children and participants discussed ways to address heart failure and circulatory shock and quality and ways of improving methods prevention in addition to the establishment of workshops on how to deal with bone injuries, respiratory failure in children, wounds and how to deal with it. (via Alriyadh.com)

American spine & joint center, Riyadh

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:26:41 +0000

American Joint and Spine Center at Riyadh Care Hospital is a state-of-the-art, specialized healthcare facility designed to provide the highest level of professional expertise, patient care and cutting edge technology. With our intention of early mobilization, minimal discomfort and superior results, we provide a comprehensive range of treatment for patients undergoing advanced surgery.

Each patient is treated by an expert unit of American trained surgeons and the elite staff at Riyadh Care Hospital. The American Joint and Spine Center has five clinics, two gender specific waiting areas, a patient relations conference area and a built-in x-ray facility.

At the American Joint and Spine Center at Riyadh Care Hospital, patients now have access to the internationally renowned American trained surgeons who bring the gold standard of patient care and medical facilities to the Kingdom.

Center services:

1. Joint Replacement and Orthopedic Surgery

Knee
Hip
Shoulder
Trauma
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Sports Medicine

2. Neuro and Spine Surgery

Brain and tumor care
Lumbar and cervical spine
Adult and pediatric scoliosis
Craniotomy
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Laminectomy and Laminotomy

3. Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy
4. Outpatient and Inpatient Surgery

MEET the center’s doctors by clicking here!

For Appointments & Inquiries: Phone: (966)-1-4936380 Fax: (966)-1-4936200

Mobile: (966)-563980586 PO Box No. 42142

Riyadh (Exit 14/Onaiza St.)-11541, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

St. John Brighton Hospital $60m drug treatment centre in Riyadh

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:52:36 +0000

A $60m 250-bed drug and alcohol addiction treatment centre will be built in the Saudi Arabian capital city of Riyadh.

The facility will be set up in partnership with America’s second oldest alcohol and drug treatment provider Brighton Hospital, and will serve the “entire Islamic Middle East”, a statement by the health provider said on Thursday. Over the past decade, the numbers of Saudis and Muslims in the Gulf who have become addicted to drugs and alcohol has tripled, Mohammed Al-Turaiki, CEO of Saudi Care for Rehabilitation and Health Care said.

“It has become a serious problem, and the demand for a facility like this to serve the Islamic world as a whole is very great,” he said. Al-Turaiki said the partnership would build a further five satellite treatment facilities in the kingdom once the Riyadh centre is built.

Brighton Hospital is the largest US faith-based health system. Design and construction of the tentatively named Saudi Care Brighton Hospital is expected to begin later this year. It will have 230 general inpatient beds, 20 intensive care beds and an emergency department, the statement said.

Future developments in Saudi Arabia may include regionally distributed, addiction and mental health and medical clinics following the completion of the central facility outside of Riyadh.

About Brighton Hospital:

Brighton Hospital, a member of Ascension Health’s St. John Health System, is the second oldest alcohol and substance abuse treatment center in the United States. It was founded 60 years ago and continues to be a standard-bearer and innovator in chemical dependency and dual diagnosis treatment based on the medical model and 12-step program participation. Brighton Hospital is a fully licensed and accredited sub-acute care hospital and is staffed by addiction-medicine physicians and addiction-credentialed clinicians. Both inpatient and outpatient treatment models are offered at Brighton Hospital. Brighton Hospital is located at 12851 Grand River Road, in Brighton, Michigan.

The Saudi Commission for Health barred 15,000 medical foreign workers

admin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 11:42:54 +0000

King Fahad Hospital, Al Khobar

The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties has said that 15,000 foreigners working in the Kingdom’s health sector have been barred from practicing for incompetence in their work or holding forged qualifications.

While substandard performance accounted for the vast majority of the dismissals, Hussein Al-Fureihi, the Secretary General of the Commission, said 1,093 had obtained employment with forged certificates.

According to Al-Fureihi, 336 belonged to nurses, 312 to pharmacists, 160 to dentists and optician technicians, and 75 to doctors.

Al-Fureihi disclosed the figures at a forum held on Thursday at the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry in which he said that the sources of the forged qualifications were being pursued and that a list of countries producing medical practitioners with forged certificates had been compiled. Most of the workers found in possession of fake qualifications had come from East Asia, Al-Fureihi said. He did not reveal the time period in which the dismissals occurred.

Saudi Gazette reported this week an announcement by the Commission that 20 health practitioners at a private hospital in Riyadh had been dismissed for holding forged qualifications or poor performance.

By Fatima Al-Ghamdi

Sleep Disorders Center Riyadh

admin — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 10:22:53 +0000

Sleep Medicine in a new rapidly evolving specialty. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders listed more than 84 sleep disorders. Most of them can be treated with good outcome.

King Saud University Sleep Disorders Center is the first academic Sleep Disorders Center in the country and the region. The center has been established in the late 90s and has taken a leading role in clinical service, training and research in the country. It is a four-bed facility, which is equipped with the latest digital diagnostic systems. We receive referrals from all parts of the country and the gulf area.

The center treats all kinds of sleep disorders in all age groups. We have trained a number rotating psychiatry residents and seven adult and pediatric respiratory medicine fellows from different hospitals in Saudi Arabia and the gulf. Recently, we submitted a proposal to start a sleep medicine fellowship to be the first in the country. Additionally, we are in the process of establishing a diploma for sleep disorders technologists.

To educate the public about sleep disorders we launched an educational web site call “Sleep in health and Disease” . Recently, the center received an approval for a grant by KACST to establish a National Sleep Research Center of Excellence.

For more information: Contact the center 01-4671784, 01-4679179, 01-4671801

‘Planning for meals’ workshop

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:00:42 +0000

A workshop organized by the Community and Environmental Development Agency at Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University. it is delivered by Dr. Noura bint Abdulrahman Al-Faris and Jawzaa Bint Zaidan Al-Tamimi. The workshop focuses on the concept of planning for meals, taking into account several factors to prepare nutritious and delicious food.

Address description: Princess Noura University, main hall at the academic university building, Exit 9, Gate No.8

Date: 16-17 Nov, 2009

Sponsor: Community and Environmental Development Agency, Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University

Phone: 01-2297298

Curves gym finally comes to Riyadh!

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:03:34 +0000

Curves gym has opened it’s door in Riyadh this past June! Created specifically for women, Curves offers a complete fitness and nutrition solution. The Curves 30 minute workout exercises every major muscle group and burns up to 500 calories through a proven program of strength training, cardio and stretching. In addition, club promotions and events encourage women to support charitable causes, learn about health-related issues and forge lasting friendships as part of the global Curves community. Enhancing the Curves workout is CurvesSmart™, your personal coaching system. CurvesSmart individualizes and customizes each workout by monitoring heart rate, workout intensity, range of motion and repetitions and then providing a progress report including number of calories burned!

Address:

Mouarwad Bld

Mezzanine Floor

Olaya Main Rd

Riyadh 11471

Phone:

+96614633219

Email:

Riyadh1@CurvesME.com