Saudi Arabia Records Increased Average Life Expectancy, Now at 77.6 Years
Saudi Arabia's average lifespan has climbed to 77.6 years, a notable increase from 74 years in 2016. This boost in longevity arises from significant strides in public health efforts, including holistic health-promoting policies.
These findings are detailed in a report by the Health Sector Transformation Program, part of Vision 2030, highlighting 2023 as a year of substantial progress in healthcare.
Progress is linked to policies like promoting walking, lowering food salt content, and calorie transparency, as well as enhancing healthcare services and proactive health risk mitigation.
Key developments in 2023 included the cabinet approving the National Institute for Health Research and the advancement of several initiatives.
These include initiating health cluster operations, launching the National Platform for Health and Insurance Exchange Services (Nphies) providing robust, unified health data, and benefiting the population with Value-Based Healthcare principles.
Additionally, the 2023 Shifa platform saw over 7,233 cases served—a 3% growth—with over 300,000 successful medical referrals managed by the Saudi Center for Medical Appointments and Referrals.
In line with the 'prevention over treatment' ethos, screenings were extensive: over five million tested for obesity, one million for diabetes (11,000 early detections), and 160,000 women screened for breast cancer—detecting 654 early cases—aiding treatment of early-stage illnesses.
Progress is linked to policies like promoting walking, lowering food salt content, and calorie transparency, as well as enhancing healthcare services and proactive health risk mitigation.
Key developments in 2023 included the cabinet approving the National Institute for Health Research and the advancement of several initiatives.
These include initiating health cluster operations, launching the National Platform for Health and Insurance Exchange Services (Nphies) providing robust, unified health data, and benefiting the population with Value-Based Healthcare principles.
Additionally, the 2023 Shifa platform saw over 7,233 cases served—a 3% growth—with over 300,000 successful medical referrals managed by the Saudi Center for Medical Appointments and Referrals.
In line with the 'prevention over treatment' ethos, screenings were extensive: over five million tested for obesity, one million for diabetes (11,000 early detections), and 160,000 women screened for breast cancer—detecting 654 early cases—aiding treatment of early-stage illnesses.