PHSSR Saudi Arabia 2025

The Tawakkalna app played a signi ficant role in managing the Covid-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. A study of it and a number of other technologies reported a reduction of 61% in Covid-19 cases (Khan A et al., 2021). While there are no speci fic data indicating a direct correlation between the app and a reduction in hospitalisations or deaths, it is reasonable to assume that the app’s impact on mitigating the spread of the virus had indirect effects on health outcomes. By enabling users to access their health status, report symptoms, book vaccination appointments and obtain movement permits during lockdowns, the Tawakkalna app contributed to better management of the pandemic. This likely led to a decrease in the number of infected individuals, which, in turn, could have reduced the burden on healthcare facilities and potentially lowered the number of hospitalisations. Moreover, the app’s role in facilitating contact tracing allowed health authorities to quickly identify and isolate individuals who may have been exposed to the virus, thereby preventing further spread. This proactive measure may have indirectly contributed to a reduction in Covid-19-related deaths. Since its release, the number of Tawakkalna users had reached 27 million people or approximately 77% of the population of 34.81 million by 2021. A study of public perception of certain mobile applications, including Tawakkalna, used during the Covid-19 pandemic found that public sentiment was mostly neutral (Alghareeb M et al., 2023). In 2022, the Tawakkalna app won the United Nations Public Service Award in the category of institutional resilience and innovative responses to the Covid-19 pandemic due to its signi ficant contribution to mitigating the impact of the pandemic. SDAIA continues to maintain the Tawakkalna app and is continuously expanding its features. The Tawakkalna app was instrumental in managing the Covid-19 pandemic. As the situation evolved, developers expanded and re fined the app’s features to better serve the public and adapt to future health crises. Future plans for the Tawakkalna app include: •Expanding its scope to incorporate more health-related services, such as telemedicine consultations, prescription re fills and access to electronic health records, making it a comprehensive health management platform; •Enhancing user experience by improving the app user interface and overall user experience based on feedback and evolving technologies. This may include adding support for more languages, making it more accessible to Saudi Arabia’s diverse population; •Integration with international platforms to facilitate travel and ensure the safety of travellers, allowing users to share their health status and vaccination records with authorities in other countries; •Adapting to future health crises , including infectious disease or public health emergencies, helping authorities make data-driven decisions and enabling users to take necessary precautions; •Collaboration with the private healthcare sector and other stakeholders to expand the app’s reach and improve the quality of services offered. This could help ensure the app remains relevant and valuable to users in the long term; •Data analysis collected through the app can offer valuable insights into public health trends and patterns. The developers may work with researchers and health experts to analyse these data, allowing for better understanding of disease transmission and informing effective public health policies. By implementing these future plans, the Tawakkalna app can continue to play a vital role in Saudi Arabia’s health management landscape, safeguarding public health and ensuring a swift response to future health crises. 82 Sustainability and Resilience in the Saudi Arabian Health System The Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience