Saudi Arabia’s Healthcare Reforms Revolutionizing the Region
Riyadh: The healthcare reforms in Saudi Arabia are setting a new standard for the region and beyond, according to a senior official.
Adeel Kheiri, a partner at Oliver Wyman’s India, Middle East, and Africa health and life sciences practice, emphasized the Kingdom’s commitment to prioritizing the health and well-being of its citizens.
Commitment to Progress
Saudi Arabia has significantly increased healthcare spending, with a whopping SR147 billion ($39.2 billion) allocated in 2020 alone. This demonstrates a strong dedication to transforming the nation’s health infrastructure.
Kheiri noted that Saudi Arabia’s healthcare reforms are ambitious in scale, complexity, and rapid timeframe, offering valuable lessons for the India, Middle East, and Africa region.
Expanding Healthcare Facilities
The Kingdom has set forth an ambitious plan to expand healthcare facilities, focusing on enhancing hospitals and primary healthcare centers. Saudi Arabia now has 78,000 beds in over 500 hospitals, up from 445 hospitals and 64,694 beds in 2014.
Quality of Care
Saudi Arabia has implemented accreditation programs to ensure stringent standards of patient safety and care, elevating the quality of healthcare services across the Kingdom.
The focus is on developing human capital to meet the needs of a future-facing health system, including training systems and accreditation for new roles in the care delivery system.
Universal Health Coverage
The Kingdom embarked on a journey toward Universal Health Coverage in 2019, guaranteeing free healthcare services for all citizens regardless of their socioeconomic status. This initiative aims to ensure equitable access to medical services and promote inclusivity within the healthcare framework.
Harnessing Technology
Saudi Arabia has made significant advancements in digital health services, including telemedicine and e-health services. These innovations have positively impacted healthcare in the post-COVID-19 environment, transcending geographical barriers to enhance patient care.
The Kingdom’s commitment to leveraging technology for the greater good is exemplified by the SEHA Virtual Hospital, enabling virtual consultations and remote surgeries.
Challenges and Opportunities
Despite the progress in the healthcare sector, Saudi Arabia faces challenges such as deploying capacity in low-density population zones. The focus is on engaging people in health management through community-based engagement and health management.
The Kingdom remains committed to privatizing segments of the healthcare sector and localizing pharmaceutical production, creating new opportunities for growth and innovation.
Insurance Industry Integration
Saudi Arabia’s insurance industry is experiencing rapid growth, primarily driven by the health and motor segments. The sector is projected to reach $22 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.2 percent.
The Kingdom’s focus on private providers and the growth of the private insurance sector is expected to further boost the health insurance market, enhancing access to services and aligning the health financing model with outcome-based and value-centric schemes.
Looking to the Future
As Saudi Arabia continues to develop healthcare financing, there are promising prospects for collaboration between the public and private sectors. Public-private partnerships and private sector engagement can accelerate healthcare innovation and accessibility.
The Kingdom’s healthcare reforms present a unique opportunity to become a case study of inclusive, ambitious, and comprehensive health system transformation, centered on wellness, digitalization, and people-centric health management.