Saudi Arabia Health ministry response to COVID-19
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has presented a great health crisis in the health sector in any part of the world. Different countries in the world through their ministry of health laid down measures to curb the exponential spreading of the viruses. The measures put in place were aimed at ensuring that the curve remained flat. With an understanding of the mode of spreading the virus, it was possible to plan the effective ways of curbing the spread.
The health ministry of Saudi Arabia laid out both short term and long term measures. Some of the measures laid out by the health ministry were introduced long before the virus entered the territory of the Kingdoms. It started by banning pilgrim for both the locals and non-citizens. To establish the infection rate levels, the health ministry improved its testing capacity to reach too many people. They also rolled out online campaigns to create awareness on the control measure of curbing the spread of diseases. The ministry also laid out protocols that will ensure that social distance is maintained in public places offers essential services.
The ministry of health developed digital health services that allowed health workers to interact with their patients easily without having physical contact. This was meant to reduce the chances of infection since health centers were categorized among the high-risk area. More hospitals were mobilized to increase their capacity and effectiveness of handling COVID-19. The ministry also improved the capacity to produce medical supplies and PPE. The ministry also increased the capacity of fully equipped ICUs. The health ministry was also tasked with spearheading the national committee that is updated spearheading the fight against the coronavirus. Other members were also drawn from other ministries such as the ministry of interior. Testing was ramped in different phases immediately after the movement restriction was eased.
Free testing centers were rolled out throughout the kingdom. This was aimed at scaling the detection level of the kingdom.
Education ministry was also affected by the pandemic because of school closure. They developed a digital learning platform to ensure that learning continues remotely. The interior and defense ministries played a role in ensuring the protocol on restricted movement was implemented. Other ministries were tasked to ensure that food security does not threaten the citizen during the pandemic.
References
Heba A. M, AlJahdali I. A, Garout M. A, Khafagy A. A, Saati A. A and Saleh S. A. K. (2020). Correlation of COVID-19 Pandemic with Healthcare System Response and Prevention Measures in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. pp 2-13. file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/ijerph-17-06666.pdffile:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/ijerph-17-06666.pdf
Abdullah A, Alharbi N. A, Hassanain M, and Hashem A. M (2020). Preparedness and response to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: Building on MERS experience. Journal of Infection and Public Health. vol 13 issue 6 pp 1-14 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341290453_Preparedness_and_response_to_COVID-19_in_Saudi_Arabia_Building_on_MERS_experience