PHSSR Saudi Arabia 2025

Domain 6: Population health and public awareness Sustainability •In recent years, Saudi Arabia has made signi ficant progress in enhancing the quality of health services, which is re flected in substantial improvements in key population health indicators. However, numerous public health threats persist, including lifestyle factors (and particularly unhealthy diets, lack of physical activity and tobacco use), contributing to a high prevalence of chronic health conditions. •Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are an increasing public health challenge and represent the leading cause of ill health, with hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases among the leading causes of death. The HSTP recognises the importance of this category of diseases and is focused on ways to address NCDs. •Some mental health conditions are increasingly recognised as public health threats, with one in five Saudi Arabian adults having a mental health condition. Common challenges include stigma associated with diagnosis, treatment and access to services. To address these, Saudi Arabia has invested in raising awareness of the symptoms of common mental illnesses, reducing stigma and facilitating access to appropriate health services. •Population health protection is an important consideration in religious events (the Hajj and the Umrah). Mass gathering management strategies are used to reduce the risk of the spread of infectious diseases and public health programmes have been implemented to support the management of chronic conditions among pilgrims performing the rituals. •There is low health literacy, particularly among some minority ethnic communities, individuals from underprivileged socioeconomic backgrounds and those with limited education. Efforts are being made to address this through a variety of programmes and initiatives. Health literacy education is being incorporated into the national curriculum and specialised training provided for teachers and health professionals. Resilience •One of the goals of the Saudi government is to build a strong and resilient health system that maintains health service access and quality during unprecedented events. Covid-19 highlighted the need to reduce health system vulnerability and for resilient approaches that respond to dynamic situations, combining health security with disease-speci fic and life course programmes. •Saudi Arabia used learning from previous health epidemics, especially the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and acted pre-emptively and promptly to prevent Covid-19 from spreading, following or exceeding WHO recommendations. Before there were any con firmed cases in the Kingdom, direct flights were stopped to and from China. This was followed by other measures, such as school closures, case isolation and quarantine, mass PCR screening and partial curfews, until the decision was made to implement a country-wide lockdown.. •Even before WHO’s formal declaration of Covid-19 as a global pandemic, the MoH started to disseminate information about the unknown virus, routes of transmission, and precautionary actions through television, radio, SMS text messaging and social media platforms in 12 languages. Clear instructions for handwashing and hygiene were clearly displayed in all public places and means of transport. •Once the vaccine was approved by the WHO, Saudi Arabia was among the first countries to authorise it for use. Numerous national campaigns to raise awareness were conducted by the MoH, medical professionals and social media in fluencers. The King and Crown Prince received vaccinations early, with the event being televised to encourage vaccine uptake. •Health authorities made a pivotal decision to provide free Covid-19 testing, treatment and vaccines to everyone, including individuals with irregular residency status. This equality of access helped to minimize the impact of Covid-19 on migrants and other vulnerable groups. 13 Sustainability and Resilience in the Saudi Arabian Health System The Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience