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Byline: Mohamed. Al-Moamary, Sami. Alhaider, Riyad. Allehebi, Majdy. Idrees, Mohammed. Zeitouni, Mohammed. Al Ghobain, Abdullah. Alanazi, Adel. Al-Harbi, Abdullah. Yousef, Hassan. Alorainy, Mohamed. Al-Hajjaj The Saudi Initiative for Asthma 2024 [...]

With the evident increased prevalence of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) such as Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), influenza, Group A Streptococcus (GAS), and COVID-19, the conventional diagnostic methods are considered sub-optimal in providing timely management to patients in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Gaps in current diagnostics are magnified by the Kingdom's unique demographic composition, comprising 11.9 million foreign workers, and the annual influx of over 10 million pilgrims. Current gaps in timely diagnosis leads to delays in treatment, misuse of antibiotics, and protracted hospital stays, subsequently compromising patient care, and escalating healthcare costs. KSA healthcare stakeholders suggest that the integration of rapid molecular Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) into the Kingdom's healthcare infrastructure is an absolute necessity. This publication serves as an urgent call for action aimed at healthcare policymakers in Saudi Arabia, to review the existing diagnostic challenges and include rapid POCTs in the Saudi healthcare strategy for respiratory infections., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest AM Assiri received honoraria for roundtable discussions from IQVIA. HS is the IRB chairman at King Fahad Medical City (KFMC) and a board member of the Saudi Association for Pulmonary Hypertension (SAPH). HS, LD, and RV are employees of IQVIA., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)