PRIVATE OPERATORS
Vision 2030 seeks to expand healthcare services across the Kingdom in terms of quantity and quality, with Abeer Medical Group and Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital taking on the responsibility of this transformation.
Can you tell us a bit about your organizations and their roles in the Saudi healthcare market?
Considering Saudi Arabia has an aging population, primary and home healthcare has become an important part of Vision 2030. At present, almost 70% of the population is under 40, but by 2035 that demographic will change, and the majority of the population will be over 40. That means an increasing percentage of people will be dealing with cardiovascular problems, obesity, and diabetes. Primary care has always been at the forefront of our operations, providing a one-stop shop service similar to Western Europe where the family medicine concept allows hospitals to save costs and provide more accurate care. At the same time, the need to improve tertiary care outlined by Vision 2030 pushed us to expand beyond Jeddah into the western region and Dubai, with a university and hospital. The Dubai smart hospital will be a 280-bed facility that will provide a unique offering within the medical spectrum.
SS
Healthcare is a huge sector. Vision 2030 promotes greater participation of the private sector in healthcare. The government is privatizing it in phases to ensure proper and effective transition. This will create many opportunities across the healthcare delivery domain, especially for medical devices market, and open doors for international associations. Encouraged by recent regulatory changes, medical device manufacturers and service providers will now be able to make significant inroads in the KSA healthcare market. An expert could come in and help the government in areas where it lacks sufficient strengths. That is where we immediately see an opening in the primary and secondary levels of care. We are not in the tertiary segment yet. That is where the government is concentrating on big players in medical cities, clusters, and associations with well-known overseas healthcare providers. Another part of the government’s vision is developing primary healthcare in rural areas. ✖
MA