RIYADH: The Shoura Council has backed a proposal to amend current health care legislation to ensure more comprehensive care for women and children.

The proposal filed by Shoura member Mona Al-Masheit was supported by fellow members at the consultative body’s 68th ordinary session held recently, according to a report in a local publication recently.

Al-Masheit had called for a review of the Kingdom’s health care system to ensure better care for women and children. Several members said that it cost more to treat people for illnesses than institute preventive programs, which educate people on living healthy lifestyles.

They said that the country’s universities and colleges should include women’s health care programs in their curricula, and set up special clinics at government and private sector hospitals, the report stated.

In other discussions, member Abdullah Al-Harbi recommended setting up a national data bank in cooperation with other bodies, including statistics departments at universities. The Shoura should also consider assisting in establishing a center for surveying public opinion, he said.

The Shoura further discussed the report of its energy and economy committee and its recommendations about the annual report of the Central Department of Statistics and Information, which included an upgrade of its systems.

Mohammad Al-Najji accused the department of using outdated data gathering systems to calculate unemployment figures. Mohammad Al-Mutairi called for the department to provide more information on its geo-location statistical system.

Saeed Al-Sheikh said the department must produce reports that are more up to date, while Mansour Al-Kredies suggested it should produce special surveys of the labor force every three months, so that the government could have a clearer idea of the state of the market.