WHO stats shows KSA average life expectancy rises to 75 years

The average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia has risen to the age of 75, up six years from the year 1990, a senior official from the Ministry of Health said on Saturday.
Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Khalid Al-Mirghalani told Arab News that according to the latest WHO statistics released this week, there is a remarkable increase in the life expectancy rate among Saudis.
According to the present statistics, life expectancy among Saudi men is estimated at 74 years and among women it is 77 years, three years more than their male counterpart.
The spokesman pointed out that the increase in the life expectancy rate is mainly due to the increased number of medical facilities made available to citizens throughout the Kingdom.
“We have made remarkable improvements in the health sector in respect to facilities, services, equipment, personnel and timely awareness campaigns initiated to address various health challenges,” he stressed.
He also indicated that most of the services offered by the Ministry of Health are in accordance with the standards set out by the World Health Organization.
“We reached a target of 98 percent in carrying out vaccination against infant, childhood and adult diseases,” he said, adding that there are more than 2,200 primary health care centers, providing medical care to citizens in all parts of the Kingdom.
In 1990, there were only 1,900 such centers in the Kingdom and now several more of them are to be opened in other parts of the country.
Recently, a five-week national program to immunize 5 million students against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) was launched by the MOH in coordination with the Ministries of Education and Higher Education to cover schools and universities across the Kingdom.