Commitment towards a better future for medical education in Saudi Arabia: the efforts of the college of medicine at Qassim University to become socially accountable

Background: The College of Medicine at Qassim University (COMQU) was founded in 2001 as a problem-based learning and community-oriented medical school in order to strengthen the health system not only in the Qassim region but also in the whole of Saudi Arabia. The aim of the current study was to assess whether the COMQU is a socially accountable medical school and the steps taken to achieve that target. Materials and methods: The study used the social accountability grid published by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a framework to assess the social accountability efforts in the context of three functions of medical schools: education, service and research. Data were collected through the analysis of college documents (2001–2017) and interviews with key informants. Results: The COMQU shows compliance towards social accountability in the three domains of the grid. The indicators related to the education domain demonstrate more compliance than those of research and community service in the grid. Conclusion: The COMQU is based on community-oriented medical education (COME) with strong commitment towards social accountability (socially responsible going towards social responsiveness). More research is needed in order to pave the way to achieve social accountability status. Abbreviations: COMQU: College of Medicine at Qassim University; COME: Community-oriented medical education; WHO: The World Health Organization; MOH: Ministry of Health; SCFHS: Saudi Commission of Health Specialties; PHC: Primary Health Care; HYMS: Hull York Medical School; WFME: World Federation for Medical Education; NCAAA: National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment