The Director of the Saudi Society for Evidence-Based Health Care (SSEBHC) at the Ministry of Health (MOH), Dr. Zulfa bint Ahmad Al-Rayyes, has declared that the SSEBHC has held, in collaboration with the Canadian University of MacMaster and representatives of the Saudi specialized associations, a medical workshop for the adoption of ten clinical guidelines, in a bid to ensuring the efficiency of these guidelines in serving the patients, and reducing the gap between healthcare services in the Kingdom.
“The SSEBHC aims to develop and adopt the clinical guidelines of the preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, in addition to the other services provided at all levels of the health care system; that is to be added to the enactment of laws and regulations required for putting such guidelines into force at health facilities, in line with the MOH slogan (Patient First),” said Dr. Zulfa.
Furthermore, she pointed out that the MOH is seeking to turn the SSEBHC into a pioneer reference for the adoption of guidelines on clinical practices all over the Kingdom by launching training courses and awareness campaigns. The ministry, as part of its efforts, seeks also to form specialized scientific committees on the basis of cooperation and professionalism to meet patients' needs, with placing quality and transparency into mind.
Dr. Zulfa further noted that the SSEBHC's strategic objectives focus on the promotion of the culture of guidelines and briefing people on its importance through organizing the foundation courses that shed light on the importance of adopting and implementing such guidelines at all MOH health facilities.
Besides, amid the strategic objectives are shaping skills, enabling SSEBHC to adopt the globally-accredited guidelines, in collaboration with the international bodies with expertise in this area, as well as the promoting and developing the evidence-based medicine culture through offering training and qualifying courses for the staff and the targeted health practitioners.
Dr. Zulfa went on adding that the SSEBHC's staff are working hard to increase the number of guidelines to include many important diseases, meanwhile, stressing that the SSEBHC has been approved as a reference for other departments, which seek to find the clinical guidelines; in an endeavor to unify efforts and ensure standards of outputs to serve the interests of community to the fullest.
Dr. Zulfa concluded that the SSEBHC's website will be launched soon, Allah willing; in order to enable all health practitioners to get access to the required guidelines easily, and communicate with the SSEBHC, in terms of providing their feedbacks or showing interest in receiving training courses or continuing medical education.
It is worth mentioning that the SSEBHC will allocate a corner over health awareness on its website, in both Arabic and English, for the beneficiaries of the non-health workers; with a view to promoting the culture of the evidence-based health care.