Under the catchphrase “Building on Strengths – Social Workers' Help Starts Here”, Jeddah Directorate General of Health Affairs celebrated Monday morning “Social Month, March 2008”. “Social workers all over the world commemorate the event every year,” said Dr. Turki Al-Sharief, assistant director for technical affairs at the Jeddah Directorate General of Health Affairs. “They choose a social topic and highlight it.” This year's topic in the Kingdom will strengthen the concept of social work and bring in good results, he said. Talal Al-Nashiry, head of social services at the King Fahd Hospital, said social workers focus on working on the strong points in society. “We are supporting all non-profit organizations that lend a hand to society,” he said. Social workers in medical institutes expedite matters for arriving patients by receiving and helping them open a patient file to be admitted. “We also investigate the patient's social conditions as this helps a physician find out more about his ailment,” Al-Nashiry said. “Moreover, the social service department in health centers collect information about the patient's family history, which would be taken into consideration during the treatment program.” Nashiry said one of their tasks is to study different cases and submit their findings to the relevant medical staff members. Manal Al-Somaly, medical social service worker, noted that there are more than two million members contributing internationally to social work. “This field has the highest number of members among all global organizations,” she said. Dr. Turki Al-Sharief honored a number of medical social workers on behalf of Dr. Sami Dawood, the director general of Jeddah Directorate General of Health Affairs. On the sidelines of the meeting, an exhibition displayed social services, contributions and achievements of businesses with a social commitment. __
