19 February 2014
Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah launched a competition on Tuesday, which focuses on raising the public's awareness about non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and cardiac and renal diseases.
"The best proposals will be implemented by the Ministry of Health to provide better health services to the people," Al-Rabeeah said.
"The program seeks to promote healthy lifestyles and instill awareness among people about the hazards of non-communicable diseases as well as instruct them on how to prevent and treat these diseases," said the minister. He added that the ministry would also carry the relevant health messages through social websites such as Twitter and Facebook.
Medical Sector Holding Company and Tam Company are co-sponsoring the project.
The minister said the contest is expected to attract more than 2,000 proposals from both citizens and residents in the Kingdom. The winners will be selected in an e-voting system, which will be announced subsequently.
Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners of the contest, with the first place contender receiving SR150,000, second place winner SR100,000, and SR75,000, SR50,000 and SR25,000 for the subsequent winners.
In addition to these prizes, 10 consolation prizes worth SR 10,000 will be presented to each of the other nominees.
Companies that participate in the contest will receive gold, silver and bronze medals for the first, second and the third prizes respectively.
The Kingdom is a signatory to the declaration on the global strategy to combat non-communicable diseases adopted in September 2011 by the heads of state and government to combat non-communicable diseases.
Proclaiming the spread of non-communicable diseases, a socio-economic and development challenge of "epidemic proportions," governments pledged to work with the United Nations to adopt targets to combat heart disease, cancers, diabetes and lung disease and to devise voluntary policies that cut smoking and reduce the consumption of salt, sugar and fatty content in foods.
Dr. Khalid Al-Mirghalani, Health Ministry spokesman, told Arab News that the average life expectancy at birth in Saudi Arabia has risen to 75, up six years from 1990.
Al-Mirghalani said that according to the latest WHO statistics released lately, there is a noticeable increase in the life expectancy rate among audis.
In 1990, he said the expectancy rate was 69. According to the present statistics, he said that life expectancy among men is estimated at 74 years and 77 years among women.
The spokesman pointed out that the rise in the life expectancy rate is mainly due to the increased medical facilities made available throughout the Kingdom and the measures undertaken to combat non-communicable diseases.
Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah launched a competition on Tuesday, which focuses on raising the public's awareness about non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and cardiac and renal diseases.
"The best proposals will be implemented by the Ministry of Health to provide better health services to the people," Al-Rabeeah said.
"The program seeks to promote healthy lifestyles and instill awareness among people about the hazards of non-communicable diseases as well as instruct them on how to prevent and treat these diseases," said the minister. He added that the ministry would also carry the relevant health messages through social websites such as Twitter and Facebook.
Medical Sector Holding Company and Tam Company are co-sponsoring the project.
The minister said the contest is expected to attract more than 2,000 proposals from both citizens and residents in the Kingdom. The winners will be selected in an e-voting system, which will be announced subsequently.
Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners of the contest, with the first place contender receiving SR150,000, second place winner SR100,000, and SR75,000, SR50,000 and SR25,000 for the subsequent winners.
In addition to these prizes, 10 consolation prizes worth SR 10,000 will be presented to each of the other nominees.
Companies that participate in the contest will receive gold, silver and bronze medals for the first, second and the third prizes respectively.
The Kingdom is a signatory to the declaration on the global strategy to combat non-communicable diseases adopted in September 2011 by the heads of state and government to combat non-communicable diseases.
Proclaiming the spread of non-communicable diseases, a socio-economic and development challenge of "epidemic proportions," governments pledged to work with the United Nations to adopt targets to combat heart disease, cancers, diabetes and lung disease and to devise voluntary policies that cut smoking and reduce the consumption of salt, sugar and fatty content in foods.
Dr. Khalid Al-Mirghalani, Health Ministry spokesman, told Arab News that the average life expectancy at birth in Saudi Arabia has risen to 75, up six years from 1990.
Al-Mirghalani said that according to the latest WHO statistics released lately, there is a noticeable increase in the life expectancy rate among audis.
In 1990, he said the expectancy rate was 69. According to the present statistics, he said that life expectancy among men is estimated at 74 years and 77 years among women.
The spokesman pointed out that the rise in the life expectancy rate is mainly due to the increased medical facilities made available throughout the Kingdom and the measures undertaken to combat non-communicable diseases.
© Arab News 2014
