Home care program benefits over 15000 patients

A senior Ministry of Health official in Riyadh said yesterday the number of patients who have benefited from the Home Health Care Program has exceeded 15,000 patients ever since it was introduced in April 2010. Nasser bin Saleh Al-Hozaim, supervisor of the program, who was reviewing the progress of the project till the end the first quarter of 1430H, said the initiative is administered throughout the Kingdom in the form of curative, preventive, rehabilitative, palliative and counseling services. Describing the program as the most important project developed by the ministry, Al-Hozaim said that it aims to provide a wide range of health care programs at the doorstep of patients. “There are 940 health officials divided into 216 teams working in the field in all parts of the Kingdom’s health regions,” Al-Hozaim said, adding that they are linked to 138 hospitals spread throughout the Kingdom to attend to the health needs of patients confined to their homes. The official said 31 percent of the patients covered by the program suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiac and renal diseases. Eighteen percent are Alzheimer’s and psychiatric patients, 14 percent paralytics, 11 percent suffer from diabetic foot diseases, 5 percent from chronic respiratory diseases, another 5 percent from urinary tract diseases and 2 percent from malignancy. He said the Riyadh region accounts for most beneficiaries, 12 percent in total, followed by Asir (11 percent), Madinah (10 percent), and Makkah (9 percent). Al-Hozaim said that on a special directive from Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, 80 vehicles were allocated to help health officials visit homes regularly to monitor the condition of patients covered under the program. “Some of the officials visit patients living in remote areas,” he noted. He added that the health minister has been giving maximum support to this program, offered in line with the values and traditions of Saudi society. “The minister has assigned the right officials for this program in the 20 health regions and has also deployed a team of specialists to carry out this program which has proven successful during a short span of time.” Outlining the nature of the program, the supervisor noted that it is basically meant to provide safe health care services for patients within their homes. “These patients mainly need medical follow-up without hospitalization,” he added. This program embodies a concept that has long been adopted in many countries around the world. It was a significant success in many cases, and helped provide better health services, the official said. The official explained this program comprises a set of health activities and services provided to patients in their own homes. It also provides necessary medical equipment for patients, in coordination with the relevant governmental and private health sectors. He indicated the program is effective in terms of hospital expenditure, by lowering hospitalization rates, and reducing the frequency of visits to hospitals, especially those involving patients with chronic and age-associated diseases. To qualify for treatment under this program, Al-Hozaim made it clear patients should be referred by a physician to qualify for treatment at home. The patient should be living within a radius of 50 km from the hospital and there should be a family member present to supervise him or her. According to NCB estimates, by 2015 the Kingdom's population will reach 31.69 million. The growth rate for Saudi nationals will continue to rise, while the proportion of expatriates will increase at a decelerated rate in comparison to previous influxes spurred by economic booms. The significance of this demographic shift is that Saudis have developed a predisposition to lifestyle diseases that will translate into an expensive medical profile requiring complex treatment over the long-term. This will increase demand for enhanced medical facilities. The number of Saudis past the retirement age of 60 will grow by 27 percent by 2015, the report said, adding that this age group will account for approximately 4.7 percent of the total population in 2015 (1.37 million) from the current 4.4 percent rate. This will lead to an increase in demand for high-cost medical care necessary to treat more serious diseases typically faced by older patients. The United Nations estimates that Saudi life expectancy will increase to 73.8 years by 2015 provided demographic trends remain the same. Based on population projections, outpatient visits and inpatient admissions are expected to reach 159 million visits and 4 million admissions respectively by 2015.