Minister praises Saudi Arabia’s use of digital health in virus fight
The adoption of digital health technologies as new standards in Saudi Arabia reflects the country’s leadership in international and regional forums, according to Saudi Health Minister and Chairman of the Saudi Health Council, Fahad Al-Jalajel. In his speech at the opening of the HIMSS21 Middle East Health Conference, Al-Jalajel emphasised the crucial role digital technologies played in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The first interactive map of COVID-19 data was launched to provide accurate statistics and employ artificial intelligence to analyse the data and make national strategic decisions.
The HIMSS21 conference aims to discuss current challenges and exchange ideas and experiences in the field of healthcare, both regionally and internationally. The conference will also highlight the importance of health information technology and its role in improving the efficiency of performance, enhancing the quality of services, and optimising the use of resources.
Innovative plans are being implemented in Saudi Arabia to develop the health system, including building a health transformation plan and designing programs for governing, financing, and providing health services. Digital health is a critical partner in this transformation, in line with the National Transformation Program and the country’s Vision 2030.
Secretary-General of the Saudi Health Council, Dr. Nahar Al-Azmi, stated that the HIMSS21 conference will also address the current challenges in the health sector and propose visions and ideas for future plans and potential solutions. The conference will provide an opportunity for exchanging knowledge, experiences, and expertise, as well as global dialogues on the challenges facing health systems and the available solutions. The goal is to harness digital health to build effective responses to future epidemics, benefit from data and technology to enhance population health management, and adopt digital health technologies as new standards to improve the quality of healthcare.
