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. 2019 Jul 8;12(1):16.
doi: 10.1186/s12245-019-0232-0.

Emergency medicine in Saudi Arabia: a century of progress and a bright vision for the future

Eyad Khattab  1   2 , Abdulrahman Sabbagh  3 , Nawfal Aljerian  4 , Hashim Binsalleeh  5 , Mobarak Almulhim  6   7 , Abdulrahman Alqahtani  8 , Majid Alsalamah  4
Affiliations

Emergency medicine in Saudi Arabia: a century of progress and a bright vision for the future

Eyad Khattab et al. Int J Emerg Med. .

Abstract

Although emergency medical services (EMS) and pre-hospital care have existed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) since 1934, emergency medicine (EM) is a relatively new medical field in the country that was not formally recognized as a medical specialty until 2001. In 2005, the Saudi Board of Emergency Medicine formed to develop, implement, and evaluate a standardized curriculum for EM residents. Since then, EM and the pre-hospital system in the KSA has evolved and grown. This article provides an overview of emergency medicine in Saudi Arabia and the progress it has made in the pre-hospital system, healthcare delivery system, and emergency medicine training. Finally, we will discuss the challenges and opportunities faced as this specialty continues to develop.

Keywords: Emergency medicine; Global Health; Global medicine; International health; Saudi Arabia.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Breakdown of the healthcare system in Saudi Arabia
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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