PHSSR Saudi Arabia 2025

Unintentional injuries are another threat to public health, with road tra ffic accidents also among the leading causes of death. The country has made signi ficant efforts to reduce tra ffic-related mortality rate from 36 deaths per 100,000 population in 2019 to 14 deaths per 100,000 population in 2020. This improvement is partly due to speed and tra ffic controls. In addition, social media is being used to increase awareness of road tra ffic safety and reduce injuries. Furthermore, understanding and addressing unhealthy behaviours such as smoking and physical inactivity are a priority for the country. The nationwide prevalence of smoking is 12%, with a 20% higher prevalence among men than women (2%). However, this gender variance is expected to diminish as smoking other types of tobacco, such as Shisha, becomes less of a social taboo among women (Almogbel YS, 2021). In 2019, many outdoor restaurants and cafes offered smoking services, although a 100% tax is imposed on the final bill at all restaurants and cafes that offer smoking services. Some mental health conditions subsumed under NCDs have emerged as new public health threats in recent years. One in five Saudi Arabian adults has a mental health condition (Altwaijri Y et al., 2020). Common mental health challenges include stigma associated with diagnosis, treatment and access to health services. To address these challenges, Saudi Arabia has invested in raising awareness of the symptoms of common mental illnesses and facilitating access to appropriate health services. For example, the MoH has established the uni fied 937 telephone number, allowing individuals to speak with health professionals about any medical condition and be referred to the necessary services, including mental health services. In the past decade, there have been many initiatives that have enhanced population health. The Saudi Sports for All Federation was established in 2018 with the goal of “inspiring all members of society to be physically active.” This and other organisations work towards promoting health equity by reducing gender disparities in physical activity. The health system has recognised the need to focus on factors outside of health to address modi fiable risk factors, undertaking four initiatives to address public health threats: (1) the Public Health Authority or Weqaya (meaning prevention) complements existing entities working to reduce health risks and invest in health promotion; (2) recognising that 80% of health determinants are social, the Ministerial Committee on Health in All Policies (HiAP) works across all government ministries to guide policy legislation, implementation and evaluation, taking into account the role of the social determinants of health. Among HiAP- informed initiatives are several to improve health literacy and reduce health disparities among marginalised communities and the provision of and free health services to pilgrims during the Hajj season regardless to ethnic or socioeconomic background; (3) the Quality-of-Life Programme which focuses on enhancing quality of life by focusing on wider determinants of health; and (4) the Saudi National Institute of Health which provides research funding and support and investigates health determinants aligned with the national burden of disease. Unhealthy diets and lack of physical activity are critical factors framing population health promotion policies. The SFDA has introduced several policies effective from January 2019, including (1) necessitating restaurants to display the calorie content of meals and (2) banning the use of trans fats. Meanwhile, other agencies are also contributing to changes in health behaviour. The Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA), for example, has implemented 50% and 100% taxes on sweetened beverages and tobacco products, respectively. Population health plays an instrumental role in religious events. The Hajj, one of the largest mass events worldwide, is the annual pilgrimage to Makkah, which takes place on speci fic dates according to the Islamic calendar. During Hajj, up to two million people from around the world spend four to five days in a relatively small area. The Umrah, meanwhile, is an abbreviated pilgrimage that can be performed at any time of the year. To ensure the safety of both these forms of pilgrimage, mass-crowd management strategies are used to reduce the risk of the spread of infectious diseases and public health programmes ensure the management of chronic conditions among pilgrims performing the rituals. Moreover, crowds move on foot or by public transport from one area to 69 Sustainability and Resilience in the Saudi Arabian Health System The Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience