Saudi Arabia’s Healthcare Sector in Vision 2030

Healthcare in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is considered a fundamental right for all citizens. The Ministry of Health is responsible for providing preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative healthcare services through a network of healthcare centers across the country.

The private sector also plays a pivotal role in driving the healthcare sector forward, contributing to its ongoing successes. All these efforts align with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 for health. The commitment to this vision has led to the development of the sector in line with future demands. Achieving this requires focusing on key principles outlined in the plan, such as innovation, public-private partnerships, and the enhancement of operational frameworks, ultimately aiming to create a leading healthcare sector that delivers medical services meeting the Kingdom’s leadership aspirations and the needs of its citizens.

It has become clear that the goal of transforming Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system is to “restructure the healthcare sector in the Kingdom to be a comprehensive, efficient, and integrated system centered on the health of individuals and communities, including citizens, residents, and visitors,” as stated on the official website of the Healthcare Transformation Program. This rapid progress is driven by the visionary leadership of Saudi Arabia’s young leaders, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is determined to implement a public healthcare policy that meets the expectations of the country’s leadership and its citizens. This endeavor is a crucial component of the broader economic reform of Saudi Arabia’s systems and policies.

As part of the Saudi Vision 2030 plan, the Saudi government aims to reduce the healthcare sector’s share of the national budget by fostering public-private partnerships (PPPs). The goal is to privatize 295 hospitals by 2030 to enhance the quality and efficiency of healthcare through a value-based care model.

The Saudi government has identified several issues requiring transformation, particularly concerning privatization and its implications, as well as adapting to these changes. In response, the government has launched a series of initiatives aimed at achieving universal health coverage, strengthening primary healthcare services, implementing digital health transformation, and enhancing quality and patient safety. Given the scale of this reform, attention has been focused on key institutional stakeholders, specifically healthcare providers, state-owned institutions, the insurance sector, and regulatory bodies.

Privatization Under Vision 2030

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 emphasizes the development of the healthcare sector through privatization. Although privatization in the Kingdom has been on the rise, the public healthcare sector remains vital, according to experts, for achieving comprehensive health improvements across all population segments. With this in mind, the government must strengthen the public healthcare sector to ensure affordable, accessible, and high-quality healthcare for all.

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have emerged as a crucial mechanism for fostering innovation in the global healthcare sector. This review highlights lessons learned from PPP models worldwide, emphasizing their significance and impact, and how applying these lessons could influence Saudi Arabia’s healthcare sector. PPPs in healthcare innovation require collaboration between government entities, private institutions, and sometimes nonprofit organizations to address challenges such as limited resources, expertise, and infrastructure while leveraging each sector’s strengths.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 includes a comprehensive plan for public-private partnerships, organizing and developing the sector through the Healthcare Transformation Program. This program aims to structure and activate an integrated healthcare system across the Kingdom, focused on patient health, promoting public health, preventing diseases, and implementing a modern healthcare model. 

The program also aims to provide health services and free insurance to all citizens, covering services across different geographic areas, and expanding electronic health services and digital solutions.

Vision 2030 for healthcare relies on comprehensive development across all levels, starting with infrastructure development, facilitating access to healthcare services, and extending to digital health and healthcare digitization, which reduces financial burdens and makes care accessible anywhere. Additionally, the vision aspires to provide a skilled workforce and increase life expectancy in line with international indicators.

Strategic Goals of the Healthcare Transformation Program

The strategic goals of the Healthcare Transformation Program include improving access to healthcare services at the right time and place by increasing the overall capacity of hospitals (including hospital beds and medical staff) and ensuring appropriate geographic distribution. This encompasses the distance between patients and healthcare providers, timely access to necessary services, and affordability of healthcare for individuals.

The Kingdom also seeks to improve the quality of healthcare services provided to citizens, including free insurance services, by enhancing the healthcare system’s responsiveness to community needs and ensuring effective, safe, and sustainable health coverage.  This strategic goal involves two main elements: public health prevention, such as community health awareness, disease prevention, and vaccinations, and managing health crises, including infectious and non-communicable diseases, as well as responses to epidemics and natural disasters.

Saudi Arabia has made significant achievements in the healthcare sector, establishing a healthcare system that provides free services to all citizens. With increased spending on healthcare, the quality of services and outcomes has also improved. 

The government has invested in healthcare infrastructure, leading to an increase in the number of hospitals and primary healthcare centers. By 2021, there were over 460 hospitals and 2,000 primary healthcare centers across the country. The Kingdom has developed programs and initiatives to improve care quality, such as the National Accreditation Program for Healthcare Organizations. Since 2021, more than 50% of the country’s healthcare facilities have been accredited, with evaluations based on various criteria, including infection control, patient safety, and care quality. 

Saudi Arabia has also invested in health information systems, electronic health records, and telemedicine, enhancing healthcare efficiency and making services more accessible. Prevention, public health, innovation, and sustainability are four key priorities for the Healthcare Transformation Program, which aims to expand electronic health services, digital solutions, and improve healthcare quality. The program is transforming Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system into a more comprehensive and integrated one, adhering to the highest international standards in service delivery. This positions the Kingdom among the leading countries globally in leveraging technology to provide efficient and accessible healthcare services.

Innovation and Creativity at the Forefront of Government Priorities

Recent developments indicate a significant increase in investment in health research, digital transformation, healthcare infrastructure, workforce training, and collaboration with global health system innovators. 

The Saudi government has prioritized innovation by allocating a substantial portion of the budget to research, development, and social advancement. The rising demand on the healthcare sector during the pandemic further pushed innovation forward to sustain the sector’s technical quality. Research, development, and innovation are based on preventive and integrative measures to address current challenges in accessing healthcare services. Saudi government investment plans aim to expand healthcare infrastructure in alignment with Vision 2030 and beyond. 

Additionally, the government plans to increase the privatization of hospitals and primary healthcare centers to support innovation and creativity. It collaborates with global health system innovators to bring the latest health technologies and expertise to the Kingdom.  The Public Investment Fund attracts pharmaceutical and biotech companies to enhance medical equipment and raise the private sector’s participation in the healthcare system, driving innovation and creativity forward. The benefits of innovation in Saudi Arabia’s healthcare sector are numerous, including quality improvement, cost reduction, flexibility, and rapid service delivery. The Healthcare Transformation Program focuses on restructuring the sector to provide integrated medical services. Saudi health leaders are influencing others to ensure understanding and support for health innovation and creativity, such as emphasizing the importance of electronic health records in the digital transformation era. To this end, reform legislation is being issued to accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions in the digital age.

In conclusion, the aspirations and priorities for developing Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system rest on four main pillars: human health, environmental sustainability, basic needs, leadership in energy and industry, and future economies. These pillars enhance Saudi Arabia’s global competitiveness and leadership, aligning with Vision 2030’s objectives to bolster its position as the region’s largest economy and the fastest-growing, most robust healthcare sector.