Cabinet Approves Emergency-Response Safety Policy

The Saudi Cabinet approved on 25 August 2026 the National Policy for Enhancing Emergency-Response Safety in public places and workplaces across the Kingdom, aiming to strengthen preparedness and reduce the consequences of critical incidents. The Saudi Red Crescent Authority will lead the policy's implementation in coordination with other government entities.

The policy sets clear goals: raising emergency-response readiness in public places and workplaces, shortening the time between an incident and the arrival of medical support, and increasing survival rates in critical cases — with special focus on out-of-hospital cardiac and respiratory arrests. It also seeks to reduce the medical and societal impact of serious incidents.

What the policy includes

The framework is built around several pillars, including emergency safety in public places, rapid response, empowering the community to handle health emergencies, improving care for out-of-hospital cardiac and respiratory arrests, and clearly defining the roles of all agencies within the national emergency response system.

Practical measures include expanding CPR and basic life support training for workers and designated responders, providing more automated external defibrillators (AED devices) at targeted sites, and developing national first aid and CPR capabilities through structured training programs. Public awareness campaigns will emphasize the importance of early intervention before professional teams arrive, while coordination between emergency medical services and other agencies is set to be strengthened for faster dispatch.

The policy targets public places such as commercial centers, crowded facilities, and community venues, alongside workplaces across sectors including offices and industrial sites. For residents and expats alike, the move means better access to life-saving equipment and trained responders in the places people visit and work every day — with the potential to save lives in the crucial minutes before an ambulance arrives.

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