ABSTRACT
In November 1983, the Saudi Ministry of Health took the decision to establish the Primary Health-Care Sector as “the basic health services for all members of the community, the first level of community contact with the health services”. In 1983, Saudi universities started the postgraduate family medicine programme. By 1985, Primary Health Care (PHC) began to function in Saudi Arabia by laying the foundations, providing extensive training, implementing expansion and improvement in the provision of services, and producing vital indicators. The Saudi Arabian health-care leadership recognizes that the most efficient way to provide high-quality, efficient health care is through effective PHC run by family physicians. Saudi Arabia has one of the highest prevalence rates of diabetes mellitus in the world, and with expected increased longevity, the burden of chronic diseases is expected to rise. In 1995, upon the establishment of Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, the Saudi Board in Family Medicine was developed.
