Fasting in Health Campaign: King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah's Ramadan Initiative
As part of the health sector's preparations for the holy month of Ramadan, King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah conducted a large-scale field awareness campaign under the slogan "Fast in Good Health," targeting visitors to parks and public markets in Jeddah. This initiative is part of the hospital's social responsibility to promote health awareness and a culture of prevention before the start of the fasting season.
Campaign dimensions and its societal importance
This campaign is not merely about offering casual advice; it's part of a strategic plan to prepare community members both psychologically and physically for the physiological changes that occur during the holy month. These initiatives are crucial in reducing the number of cases of fatigue and digestive problems that typically overwhelm emergency rooms in the first days of Ramadan due to the sudden shift in eating habits and sleep schedules.
These efforts are in line with the Kingdom’s health transformation goals and Vision 2030, which focuses on the principle of “prevention is better than cure,” and enhancing quality of life by empowering society to control its health through reliable medical information.
Direct medical services and guidance
The campaign saw a significant presence of specialized medical and volunteer teams who began providing services to visitors in public spaces. The healthcare staff focused on several key areas:
- Physical preparation for fasting: Providing advice on how to gradually reduce stimulants and regulate meals before the start of the month to avoid headaches and fatigue.
- Chronic Disease Management: The campaign devoted a large part of its efforts to educating diabetic and hypertensive patients about ways to adjust medication doses (after consulting a doctor) and the best times to measure blood sugar and exercise.
- Correcting dietary habits: Raising awareness of the dangers of excessive consumption of fatty foods and sugars at breakfast, and the importance of a healthy and balanced pre-dawn meal (suhoor).
Integration between field and digital awareness
King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah also embraced the digital aspect, launching digital awareness content across its various platforms in conjunction with its field visits. This content included visual messages and short videos focusing on the importance of light physical activity and debunking medical myths related to fasting, ensuring the awareness message reached the widest possible segment of society.
The hospital's community engagement department confirmed that the large interaction witnessed in the field reflects the community's awareness and desire to adopt healthy lifestyles, noting that going out from the hospital walls to places where people gather is the best way to break the psychological barrier and build bridges of trust between the health service provider and the beneficiary.
