Kingdom’s pioneering healthcare reforms lead the way in the region
Saudi Arabia’s ambitious healthcare reforms stand out for their scale, complexity, and rapid timeframe Saudi Arabia’s bold healthcare reforms promise valuable lessons for the region and beyond, according to a senior official.
In an interview with Arab News, Adeel Kheiri, partner in Oliver Wyman’s India, Middle East and Africa health and life sciences practice, highlighted the Kingdom’s endeavors in this sector.
He said: “Saudi Arabia’s ambitious healthcare reforms stand out for their scale, complexity, and rapid time frame. This unique approach will undoubtedly offer valuable lessons learned for the IMEA (India, Middle East, and Africa) region and beyond.”
Vikas Kharbanda, Arthur D. Little’s Middle East partner and healthcare practice lead, told Arab News that very few health systems have managed to “achieve the degree of structural, policy and operations reforms as Saudi Arabia is witnessing at the moment, particularly at the scale and geographical scope.”
Foundation of progress
Saudi Arabia has embarked on a journey to prioritize the health and well-being of its citizens, laying a robust foundation for progress.
This commitment has been evident through a steady increase in healthcare spending, with a staggering SR147 billion ($39.2 billion) allocated in 2020 alone, signaling a resolute dedication to revolutionize the nation’s health infrastructure. Kharbanda expressed that the Kingdom is “well on its path to achieving this unprecedented change at a pace that has not been seen in most health systems that have gone through similar modernization journeys.” Building upon this foundation, Saudi Arabia has made substantial investments in healthcare infrastructure. An ambitious plan has been set in motion to expand healthcare facilities, with a particular emphasis on augmenting hospitals and primary healthcare centers.
As of 2021, over 460 hospitals and 2,000 primary healthcare centers have been established across the Kingdom, ensuring equitable access to essential medical services even in the remotest corners.
At a macro level, the evolution of Saudi Arabia’s modern health system unfolds across three distinct periods, according to Arthur D. Little.
The initial decade of the century witnessed the early
acknowledgment of challenges, leading to substantial investments in establishing core fundamentals. This included significant investments in physical infrastructure, formulation of health insurance policies, and the expansion of the healthcare network.
“The second phase of development was triggered around the early part of the second decade amidst a growing burden on the public health system, increasing demand for services, the emergence of epidemics, steady growth in the health insurance sector, and need for efficiency that saw increasing focus on digitalization, integration, capacity, and productivity enhancement,” said Kharbanda. The onset of the third phase of development, initiated toward the conclusion of the second decade, with the introduction of Vision 2030 and the Healthcare Sector Transformation Program, heralds a truly transformative era. The program is transforming the Kingdom’s healthcare system to be more comprehensive, effective, and integrated than ever before.
This enhanced system prioritizes innovation, financial sustainability, and disease prevention while improving
access to healthcare.
It also focuses on expanding e-health services and digital solutions, improving the quality of care, and adhering to international standards.
Elevating quality of care
Quality stands as a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s healthcare ethos, evidenced by the implementation of accreditation programs like the National Accreditation Program for Healthcare Organizations and the Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions.
These programs uphold stringent standards of patient safety and care, catalyzing an elevation in healthcare services quality throughout the Kingdom.
“Saudi Arabia is likely to make
Adeel Kheiri
significant strides in managing the human capital to meet the needs of a more future-facing health system,” Kharbanda said. He added: “This involves identifying and setting up the training systems and accreditation for new roles in the care delivery system, including nurse practitioners, biostatisticians, etc.” The focus, according to Kharbanda, has to be on developing the necessary capacity and capability in the workforce to meet the new models of care delivery centered around people instead of patients and ensuring new skills to adapt to the rapidly changing medical technologies.
Universal health coverage
Furthermore, Saudi Arabia’s commitment to quality care extends to its efforts toward achieving universal health coverage.
In a landmark move in 2019, the Kingdom embarked on a journey toward UHC, guaranteeing free healthcare services for all citizens irrespective of their socioeconomic status.
This initiative not only ensures
equitable access to medical services but also fosters a culture of inclusivity within the healthcare framework.
The ongoing plans go beyond just investing in the capacity of the health system, according to Kharbanda.
He noted that the approach is centered on ensuring a more remarkable shift toward primary care to “manage health rather than sickness.”
Saudi Arabia’s commitment to UHC is a core tenet in its commitment to provide an economically vibrant society and underpin that with an equally robust, resilient, and lively social infrastructure.
“In my view, Saudi Arabia’s investment in world-class health infrastructure will be critical at three levels,” Kharbanda said. He explained that establishing strong social infrastructure, including high-quality healthcare, not only attracts and fosters top human capital but also directly contributes to economic growth by boosting productivity and creating jobs.
Kharbanda added: “To ensure access to equitable, high-quality, and affordable healthcare, it is necessary to rapidly shift the healthcare delivery system toward care out of the hospitals, and increasing participation of the private sector.”
This is anticipated to positively impact the national economy, potentially saving SR30-40 billion in projected public health spending by 2030 and catalyzing over SR30 billion in private sector investments within the same timeframe.
Harnessing technology’s power
The advancement of digital health services, including telemedicine and other e-health services, has made significant strides in recent years and has had a positive impact on the post-COVID environment in the Kingdom, according to Arthur D. Little.
“While consumer-facing digital health solutions are gaining traction, the most impactful innovations for Saudi Arabia’s healthcare transformation will likely be non-clinical and support service applications,” Kheiri said.
He explained that tech enablement in these areas can significantly improve automation, transparency, and efficiency, especially as government health systems are corporatized and expected to adhere to privatesector-like operating principles. Through a digital health revolution, the Kingdom has pioneered telemedicine and e-health services, transcending geographical barriers to enhance patient care.
The inauguration of the SEHA Virtual Hospital in 2022 exemplifies Saudi Arabia’s commitment to leveraging technology for the greater good, enabling virtual consultations and remote surgeries to reach even the farthest communities. “Cross-border collaboration in healthcare and life sciences holds immense potential for the IMEA region,” Kheiri said. He continued: “Saudi Arabia’s advancements can act as a catalyst, particularly in areas like life sciences localization and medical tourism. By working together, countries can leverage each other’s strengths, minimize duplication of efforts, and achieve greater success on the global stage.”
The Arthur D. Little partner believes that localization has always been a topic of great importance in ensuring the long-term sustainability and self-reliability of the sector.
“The real opportunity resides in the emerging areas for biotech and genetic-based services where the playing field is less loaded in favor of established and traditional pharma and other technologies suppliers,” Kharbanda added.
Saudi Arabia’s advancements can act as a catalyst, particularly in areas like life sciences localization and medical tourism.