The Covid-19 Pandemic and Mental Health: Saudi Arabia’s Policy Challenges and Way Forward

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Kesavan Sreekantan Nair

Abstract

Objective:Mental health disorders are considered as a major public health problem. This
articleaims to provide an overview ofthe impact of Covid-19 pandemic on mental health care
system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(KSA) andmajor policy implications and challenges.
Methods:This study is based on desk research and secondary data. Key words “Covid-19”,
“mental health”, “mental health system”, “mental health policy” and “health system in Saudi
Arabia” were used to select peer reviewed articles and documentsfrom Medline, Google Scholar,
Scopus and PubMed databases. Many of the country specific and reports and papers were also
abstracted using Google search engine.
Results:The Covid-19 pandemic has seriously affected the mental health of population of all
ages, including health care providers. Mental health care system in KSA is likely to face a huge
challenge due to increasing burden of mental disorders, particularly among adult population.
KSA allocates 4% of its health budget on mental health care, of which 78% goes to hospital
based care, leaving primary mental health services inadequate and ineffective.
Conclusion:KSA needs to adopt a rigorous approach to mental health care delivery that address
all aspects including the number of mental health care facilities and providers;appropriate skill
mix, reducing regional imbalance, improving awareness of population, andsustainable
community-basedapproach.

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