KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA Information Sheet © International Affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2019 Credentialing Verification Authorities: The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) have the authority to license all health care practitioners. http://scfhs.org.sa/en/Pages/default.aspx. The Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions (CBAHI) is the official agency authorized to grant accreditation certificates to all governmental and private healthcare facilities operating in Saudi Arabia. https://portal.cbahi.gov.sa/english. Educational programs of universities needs to be accredited by The National Commission for Assessment and Academic Accreditation (NCAAA), ministry of health. https://www.ncaaa.org.sa Communication: Arabic is the first language, second is English. Saudi Arabia’s country code is (966). The time difference is –8 hours from East Zone, USA. Ongoing Nutrition Activities in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) 1. National Dietetic Association Saudi Society for Clinical Nutrition (SSCN) Previously Saudi Dietetic Association (SDA) www.sda.org.sa/ Email: [email protected] Related organizations Saudi Diabetes and Endocrine Association Saudi Society for Food and Nutrition http://www.sdea.org.sa/english/ http://www.ssfn.org.sa Email: [email protected], [email protected] Kayl Association for Combating The Saudi Society of pediatric Obesity Gastroenterology, Hepatology and http://kayl.org.sa/ Nutrition Email: [email protected] www.saspghan.org/public/ Saudi Oncology Society (SOS) Saudi Arabian Society for Metabolic http://saudioncology.org/ and Bariatric Surgery http://www.sasmbs.net/ The Saudi Society of Nephrology and Transplantation (SSN&T) www.ssn-sa.com Email: [email protected] 2. National Nutrition Programmes/Projects To reduce the levels of sugar, salt and saturated/ transformed fat in the food products: https://www.sfda.gov.sa/en/food/news/Pages/f11-9-2018a1.aspx 3. Organizations working on Health & Nutrition a. National Organizations (Government) Ministry of Health Saudi Food And Drug Authority http://www.moh.gov.sa http://www.sfda.gov.sa 3b. International Organisations World Health Organization (WHO) http://www.emro.who.int/countries/sau/ UNICEF https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/saudiarabia.html United Nations Development Program http://www.undp.org.sa 3c. Educational Institutes (Nutrition Education & Research) King Saud University in Riyadh King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah www.ksu.edu.sa http://nut.kau.edu.sa Umm Al Qura University in Mecca University of Northern Border www.uqu.edu.sa http://www.nbu.sa University of Hail Jazan University http://www.uoh.edu.sa www.jazanu.edu.sa Taibah University King Khalid University www.taibahu.edu.sa www.kku.edu.sa University of Dammam Princess Nora bint http://www.ud.edu.sa Abdulrahman University www.pnu.edu.sa 3d. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) Saudi Red Crescent Authority Human Rights First Society (HRFS) http://hrfssaudiarabia.org/ http://www.srca.org.sa/ 4. Assessment of Training Quality of National Dietitians, their Professional Role and Prestige To work as a clinical dietitian in KSA, you have to: 1. Obtain a Bachelor of Clinical Nutrition from the College of Applied Medical Sciences in one of the recognized universities, 2. Complete one-year internship program rotating in different hospitals & departments. 3. Getting a license to practice the profession as a Clinical Dietitian Specialists from the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties. The Universities offering Bachelor of Clinical Nutrition is increasing, includes the following: - King Saud University in Riyadh - Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University - King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah - Umm Al Qura University in Mecca - University of Northern Border - Jazan University - University of Hail - King Khalid University - Taibah University In KSA, clinical dietitian mostly works in hospital in addition can work in education, research centers, sports medicine/ nutrition, private sector/ clinics, media, administration and management of nutrition services in various settings, Non-governmental organizations such as UNESCO and United Nations programs. 5. Brief Description of National Healthcare System and Private Practice In Saudi Arabia the total number of hospitals 470 with 70844 beds. The Ministry of Health (MOH) is the major government provider, covering 60% of the total health services in three levels (primary, secondary and tertiary). The private sector also adds to the delivery of health care services, especially in cities and large towns, with a total of 152 hospitals (17428 beds) and 2218 dispensaries and clinics. In accordance with the Saudi constitution, the government provides all citizens and expatriates working within the public sector with full and free access to all public health care services. 6. Employment Opportunities Profile Employment opportunities for dietitians are mainly in public and private sector of large cities. 7. Obtaining Work Permits Foreign workers require a labor permit, which is issued from the KSA immigration department by the employee sponsor. For more details visit: https://shieldgeo.com/saudi-arabia-immigration-and-work-permits/ 8. Local Food Customs and Culture Saudi cuisine varies from one region to another because of the distribution of population spread in a large number of geographical places, which make the Saudi cuisine rich in various dishes. The following are the most popular of these foods: Kabsa: One of the most popular Saudi cuisines consists of rice and meat and recently as a kind of change it is cooked with chicken, fish, or shrimp. Mataziz: Popular especially in the Najd region, consisting of dough and meat, served with gravy and vegetables. Gurasn: Famous in Najd. Consists of a flour made from ground wheat, which is kneaded with water and salt until it becomes a soft paste, then covered and left aside for half an hour, then baked on a large sheet or known as a pinch on a strong fire and dripped. Jareesh: Popular in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Palestine. In Saudi Arabia it is famous in the Najd region. It is prepared from hardened crushed wheat, added to broth, black pepper, cumin and onions. Mutabbaq: Stuffed pancake or pan-fried bread. Masoub: Baked bread mixed with bananas and added to the margarine or honey or both, and in some areas they add cream. Areeqa: The most famous food in the southern region consists of ground bread, which is hand-caked, and then crumbs in the middle to pour margarine, honey and dates over it. Aseedah: it consists of cooked wheat flour, sometimes with added butter or honey. It is similar to gruel or porridge. Clegga: it is composed of wheat stuffed with dates, added to the cardamom and saffron. It is famous from the region of Qassim in Saudi Arabia. Arabic coffee is a popular custom in Saudi Arabia, which is often served with dates or sweets. It is a symbol of hospitality and generosity. Drinking tea is also a popular custom in Saudi Arabia. The tea mostly taken (without milk) and various herbal flavorings may be added. One of the main added herbs to tea is mint. Due to the presence of a large number of expatriates in the Kingdom, that contributed to the introduction of some dishes from Asian and Western cuisine to the popular food items in the Saudi table. 9. CE Opportunities (Local As Well As Upcoming IAAND Conference) CE opportunities are available online, websites e.g.: http://cme-ksa.com and https://www.allconferencealert.com 10. IAAND Volunteer Opportunities Opportunities to assist IAAND with your time are probably endless. Learn as much as you can about IAAND and where your skills and interest would be of most benefit both to you and to IAAND. You could: § Assist IAAND in spreading awareness about nutrition and dietetics globally and advocating for nutrition issues in your local communities. § Support IAAND’s growth by recruiting new members and assisting fund- raising team. § Be a member on the IAAND leadership team § Assist in organizing conferences § Submit articles to the IAAND newsletter § Be a Kids Eat Right International volunteer. For further information please contact the Country Representative for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: [email protected] Written by: Mona Aldosari (2019) .