King Salman approves health care programs

King Salman on Sunday approved the implementation of an electronic sick-leave system, and directed relevant authorities to coordinate with the Civil Service Ministry in case of any amendments to the terms for granting sick leave.
He also approved a program to train Saudi professionals in clinical coding. The Saudi Health Council and the Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf) are cooperating to implement the training program, whose aim is to encourage the private health sector to hire the program’s graduates by leveraging the funding provided by Hadaf.
The training program aims to improve the quality of health care and control expenditure. The Health Ministry’s General Directorate of Licenses will establish an electronic network linked to the licensing system of the Clinical Coding Department at the National Center for Health Information.
The Council of Cooperative Health Insurance will work with the Saudi Health Council to develop controls and find ways to employ graduates at private health care institutions.
Clinical coding licenses and standards will be included in unified national standards for accreditation of health facilities.
This initiative is part of the Saudi Health Council’s efforts to contribute to achieving the Vision 2030 reform plan, whose objectives include the Saudization of certain professions that are vital for the national economy.