Introduction to Health Care

Health Services and Health Care Systems

Health services include:
- All services dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
- The promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health.
- Both personal and non-personal health services.
Most visible functions of any health system to users and the general public.
Service provision:
- Refers to how inputs (money, staff, equipment, drugs) are combined to deliver health interventions.

Formal care: Care provided by trained, paid professionals usually in a formal setting.
Lay care: Care provided by non-professionals without formal training, unpaid. Includes self-care, and care provided by relatives, friends, or self-help groups.
Primary care: The first point of contact in formal care, usually general, community-based.
Secondary care: Specialized care accessible typically through referrals from primary care providers, often conducted in local hospitals.
Self-help groups: Unpaid, self-taught individuals offering solutions based on mutual support for similar health issues.
Tertiary care: Highly specialized care requiring a referral from secondary care, generally available in national or regional hospitals.

Preventive, curative, or rehabilitative services provided by a physician or qualified persons.
Example: Specialist services like radiology.

Out care services: Services without accommodation, such as Emergency and outpatient services.
In care services: Inpatient services provided during hospital stays.
Long-term care services: Combine inpatient and outpatient care and exceed thirty days of residential care.

Health systems contain all activities whose primary purpose is to promote, restore, or maintain health.

Results including:
- Products
- Services
- Customer satisfaction
- Health promotion achievements

Public Health: Government-managed; primarily provided by the Ministry of Health (MOH).
- Other government entities include:
- Referral hospitals (e.g., King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre).
- Security forces medical services.
- Army forces medical services.
- National Guard health affairs.
- Ministry of Higher Education hospitals (teaching hospitals).
- ARAMCO hospitals.
Private Sector: Operated by private companies, including hospitals.

First public health department established in Mecca in 1925 by royal decree from King Abdulaziz.
- Focused on providing free health care for the population and pilgrims by establishing hospitals and dispensaries.
- Initial reliance on traditional medicine persisted due to inadequate national income and high epidemic disease incidence.
Formation of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in 1950 as a crucial response to the healthcare need.
- Followed by the introduction of 5-year development plans by the government to enhance all sectors, including healthcare.
Substantial healthcare improvements achieved since the inception of the MOH.

Ministry of Health (MOH) oversees public healthcare services.
Includes semi-independent bodies and voluntary non-governmental organizations providing additional healthcare services.
Distribution of healthcare service provision:
- MOH: 60%
- Private sector: 23%
- Other governmental sectors: 17%

Responsible for:
- Managing, planning, formulating health policies.
- Supervising health programs.
- Monitoring health services in both public and private sectors.

Al Asmri, M., Almalki, M. J., Fitzgerald, G., & Clark, M. (2019). The public healthcare system and primary care services in Saudi Arabia: a system in transition. East Mediterr Health J, 25.
Al Otaibi, A. S. (2017). An overview of health care system in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Management and Administrative Sciences, 4(12), 1-12.