Saudi Arabia’s Plan for Healthcare Improvements

The GCC region is on the verge of a major healthcare transformation, with Saudi Arabia leading the way through strategic initiatives. The country’s healthcare reforms are part of a broader plan to build a modern, fair, and sustainable healthcare system by investing in digital technology and infrastructure. This effort is closely tied to Vision 2030, which aims to provide universal healthcare access and integrate advanced technologies.

Saudi Arabia is strengthening its digital infrastructure to support innovation across many fields, including healthcare. For example:

• The country plans a new AI project, with up to $100 billion in funding, to create a tech hub (source: Bloomberg).
• In August 2024, the Ministry of Health launched the Regulatory Healthcare Sandbox program to boost digital health and AI innovation.
• Oracle announced a $1.5 billion cloud expansion in February 2023, improving the kingdom’s tech capabilities.
• Amazon Web Services will open a new infrastructure region in Saudi Arabia by 2026, with a $5.3 billion investment, benefiting healthcare, education, and other sectors.
• In October 2024, Google Cloud and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) partnered to establish an AI hub in Saudi Arabia, focusing on AI applications in Arabic and various industries, including healthcare.

These efforts highlight Saudi Arabia’s commitment to advancing healthcare through technology and innovation.

Saudi Arabia is transforming its healthcare system with a new cluster-based approach. Under the first phase of the Health Sector Transformation Program, 20 health clusters were set up across the country, each serving about one million people. These clusters bring together primary care centers, general hospitals, and specialized services into connected networks, making healthcare more efficient and better coordinated. Recently, these clusters were transferred to the Health Holding Company (HHC), giving them more freedom and resources to improve services. The clusters are located in the Eastern, Central, Northern, Southern, and Western regions of the kingdom. In January 2024, the program entered its second phase, with three clusters moving from the Ministry of Health to HHC.

Digital health plays a key role in this change. The Seha Virtual Hospital, launched in February 2022, supports over 200 hospitals and 2,000 health centers across Saudi Arabia. It has earned top international accreditation and offers services like emergency consultations and specialized care. The hospital uses advanced technology, such as artificial intelligence to handle urgent cases and augmented reality for surgeries. So far, it has managed over 51 million appointments and consultations, helping people in remote areas access healthcare. In October 2024, it set a Guinness World Record as the largest virtual hospital in the world.

The changes in healthcare go beyond hospitals with platforms like Sehhaty. The National Population Health Platform gives people easy access to health information and online services. The National Platform for Health and Insurance Exchange Service helps healthcare providers share data securely, connecting over 14 million people as of December 2023.

Saudi Arabia has made great progress in preventive care and early detection. In 2023, more than 5 million people were tested for obesity, 1 million for diabetes, and over 200,000 for breast cancer. New policies to reduce salt intake and remove hydrogenated oils have helped increase the average life expectancy to 77.6 years in 2023, with a goal of 80 years by 2030.

The kingdom is also focused on improving healthcare by investing in its workforce. The number of nurses in Saudi Arabia has grown from 40,000 in 2016 to over 90,000 in 2023. More than 9,500 healthcare professionals graduated from Saudi Board programs and health academies last year. The creation of the Saudi National Institute of Health Research in 2023 is another important step in boosting medical research and innovation in the country.

A survey in 2019 by the King Salman Center for Disability Research found that 34% of Saudis face mental health issues at some point in their lives. To fill a gap in mental health care, Saudi Arabia created the National Center for Mental Health Promotion that year. This center runs awareness programs and provides mental health services through 21 hospitals, 99 clinics, and special centers like the Ajwad Center for people with severe mental health issues.

Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system is improving with strong investments and clear policies, helping the country reach its Vision 2030 health goals. The changes are showing positive results, with public satisfaction with health services increasing to 81% in 2023, up from 79% in 2022. This shows how the reforms are improving the quality of healthcare for people in Saudi Arabia.

Published: 7th December 2024

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