JEDDAH — The Ministry of Health plans to commence regular health screening campaigns starting in 2016 as recommended by the World Health Organization, Al-Riyadh daily reported on Saturday. Jeddah Health Affairs reported the ministry held several meetings regarding the new campaign and a number of introductory workshops and training programs for medical staff. The head of the campaign's Executive Supervising Committee Dr. Khalid Bawakid said Jeddah has been assigned 193 medical teams to prepare and participate in the screenings. “There are 20 health centers involved in the campaign in Jeddah city and three on the outskirts of Jeddah. We have trained 50 practitioners to run screening tests on the spot and report the results. “The medical teams will be visiting every house and testing every family member in the neighborhood of the center they work for,” said Bawakid. He added the campaigns will not only decrease the rate of infections and diseases in the Kingdom, it will also provide the Ministry of Health with accurate and consistent medical data of Saudis. “If a patient has a potential disease or infection detected by the medical team, the team will conduct a series of interviews to understand the patient's medical history and to record the patient's progress. The team will follow up with the patient and prescribe the necessary medicines,” said Bawakid.
