RIYADH: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the first Arab country in terms of women’s health, and is also ahead of the United Kingdom in the global list.
According to the recently released Hologic Global Women’s Health Index 2021 report, the Kingdom and the UAE ranked 28th and 35th, respectively; These rankings are the highest for countries in the Arab world.
Dr. Mona Salah El-Din Al-Munajjid, a prominent sociologist, who has a major influence on women’s affairs in Saudi Arabia, told Arab News: “I am not surprised by these new findings. On the contrary, I am very satisfied with these excellent results.”
“I am proud that my country has made such amazing advances in education, health and many other areas, for men and women.”
“Saudi women are now leading in many fields thanks to the support of our government and our encouragement to move forward at the national and international levels. This means that we are moving in the right direction to achieve our Saudi Vision 2030.” Dr. Mona Salah El-Din Al-Munajjid, Sociologist.
Lebanon and Turkey’s scores were among the last ten out of 122 countries, ranked 118th and 119th, respectively.
The UK finished two places behind Saudi Arabia, even at 30th.
The medical technology company’s global report has struck a chord in the UK, where the cash-strapped National Health Service has been grappling with staff shortages and a patient backlog. Medics recently staged their biggest protest and young doctors voted to strike.
The United States ranks 23rd behind Germany, New Zealand and Singapore, but ahead of France. Taiwan and Latvia have the highest scores and Afghanistan the lowest.
The health survey showed a decrease in women’s ability to meet their basic needs and revealed record levels of stress, anxiety and anger.
The UK dropped three spots in the last ranking, level with Poland, Slovenia, Kosovo and Kazakhstan. According to the report, the UK was among the countries with the fastest deterioration in emotional health.
The United States remains the exception because higher health spending has not necessarily translated into better outcomes, according to the report.
The findings were based on interviews with nearly 127,000 women and men: questions were based on preventive care, emotional health, and opinions about health, safety, and basic needs.
Hologic Inc. and its partner, Gallup, surveyed women to rate aspects ranging from mental health to preventive care.
The aim of the Global Index is to identify critical gaps in the world’s understanding of the health and well-being of women and girls, in order to ultimately find solutions.
This text is a translation of an article published on Arabnews.com
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