In August 2022, the Saudi Ministry of Health launched the Middle East’s first virtual hospital. Seha stands as the world’s largest facility of its kind, symbolizing Saudi Arabia’s ambitious health-care sector transformation, a vital component of its Vision 2030 reform agenda. Under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia is making significant strides in securing the substantial funds, advanced technology, and focused expertise needed to meet the kingdom’s rising health-care challenges.
Pioneering Digital Health Initiatives
Seha offers medical services to more than 400,000 patients annually, including in remote areas, providing telehealth consultations and using artificial intelligence tools. With a rapidly growing population, demand for health-care services is on the rise in Saudi Arabia. To meet this demand and reduce dependence on in-person hospital care, Saudi Arabia aims to digitize 70% of patient activities by 2030. Should Seha’s newly acquired AI imaging and analysis tools prove successful, they are expected to be rolled out to over 150 medical sites under the Seha Virtual Hospital.
The widespread adoption of smartphones and mobile apps is a major driver for Saudi Arabia’s health-care digitization. In a February interview, Dr. Ahmed Al-Musaed, the deputy CEO of Eastern Health Cluster, which includes all Ministry of Health facilities in Saudi Arabia’s eastern region, said, “We have changed the concept of digital from being just an enabler, and a tool, to … really disrupting the health care.” He also stated that digitization is the way forward, as people are already tech savvy and have moved to digital management of their education and finances. Health apps empower individuals to monitor their health, track their conditions, and access medical advice. In some cases, citizens are using step tracking apps and joining online walking groups as they become more health conscious. At the same time, telemedicine has also emerged as a vital solution to address health-care challenges, especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Virtual consultations and remote monitoring are optimizing doctors’ time, reducing patient waiting times, and increasing productivity.
Saudi Arabia’s health-care transformation extends beyond technology – it involves a fundamental restructuring of the sector. The kingdom is shifting from a system of sole national oversight to a hybrid model, integrating the private sector and nonprofit organizations. Health clusters – integrated, centrally administrated networks of health-care providers and medical cities, which contain primary and specialty hospitals as well as services such as medical housing – are an example of the corporatization of the medical sector. This approach aims to attract investment and generate revenue, moving away from the kingdom’s previous reliance on oil revenue to subsidize health services and instead putting health-care provision into the hands of state-owned enterprises. As part of this shift, both public and private employers are mandated to provide medical insurance to their employees.
Health Tourism and Global Initiatives
Saudi Arabia’s health-care strategy extends beyond domestic improvements, seeking to position itself as a regional hub for medical tourism. The coronavirus pandemic led to an 82% decrease in Saudis seeking medical treatment abroad from 2019-21, and with technological investments in medical care, more and more Saudis are opting for domestic treatment. In addition to meeting the needs of its citizens, Saudi Arabia’s health-care commitment is designed to attract patients from throughout the region. The hajj pilgrimage, which brings nearly 2 million pilgrims to Saudi Arabia annually, provides an opportunity to showcase and test Saudi Arabia’s health-care services. The Saudi Ministry of Health already offers free health care during the season. While the United Arab Emirates and Jordan are already popular medical tourism destinations in the region, Saudi Arabia boasts a unique spiritual component that may make it a competitive alternative. Currently, the Ministry of Health covers the majority of medical costs, amounting to $36.8 billion in spending on health care and social development in 2022 alone. Attracting medical tourism can diversify the kingdom’s revenue sources, generating income to support and improve the health-care system, including both public and private health facilities, and reducing dependence on government funding. Given that tourism is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest source of revenue, the move toward medical tourism aligns with the kingdom’s economic agenda.
With Saudi Arabia accounting for 60% of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries’ health-care spending, health care is at the top of its priorities. Saudi health-care initiatives have attracted considerable international investment and partnerships. Notably, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration held a major Healthcare Trade Mission in September with the aim of boosting U.S.-Saudi medical trade. The Saudi medical sector has also received investment from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. This strategic alignment works within the broader context of the kingdom’s comprehensive medical cluster system, which seeks to expand the accessibility of primary and secondary care facilities, alongside specialized hospitals, through digital bridges. This approach involves promoting foreign investment and establishing a framework for public-private partnerships to mitigate some of the financial burden of providing medical services. In June, the first of these public-private partnerships was formalized with Altakassusi Alliance Medical, a collaboration among European provider Alliance Medical, Nexus Gulf Healthcare, and King Faisal Specialist Hospital International Holding Company.
Navigating the Challenges of Advancing Digital Health Care
Saudi Arabia’s push toward a digitally driven health-care future will not be without its share of challenges. The establishment of a robust digital infrastructure requires substantial investment in technology and capacity building. It involves a multitude of authorities and responsibilities, from regulating internet speeds under the Communications and Information Technology Commission and overseeing digital services with the Digital Government Authority to managing data through the Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence and addressing security concerns with the National Cybersecurity Authority. Data privacy remains a pressing concern, especially in light of the Saudi government’s history of surveillance and the growing prevalence of apps that track individuals’ activities. Balancing the considerable benefits of digitalization with the preservation of individual rights is an ongoing and formidable challenge.
Moreover, a proficient workforce is necessary to effectively manage the monumental infrastructure that melds medical technology with AI tools and telecommunications demands. Saudi Arabia finds itself in a delicate balancing act – attempting to nurture national capacities through training while simultaneously attracting expatriate professionals. The government’s commitment to growing local talent is evident in its substantial investments, from establishing multiple training facilities in the kingdom to sending students abroad to study computer science and AI at top institutions. Collaborations with industry giants such as General Electric to train technicians and partnerships with European governments to educate medical professionals underscore Riyadh’s dedication to cultivating expertise. However, retaining this talent, particularly when many Saudi medical professionals often prefer working and living abroad, remains a pressing challenge.
In the interim, to offset the shortage of national talent, Saudi Arabia is appealing to expatriates, especially from the region, offering a citizenship track to accomplished individuals, including doctors and virologists. As states such as Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, and Egypt grapple with conflict or economic downturn, the allure of employment-based immigration to the Gulf countries continues to rise, with migrant health-care workers making up 50% of doctors in Saudi Arabia’s health-care system. For now, this serves as an interim solution for the kingdom’s needs.
Beneath the advanced technology and substantial investments lies Saudi Arabia’s relentless pursuit of a health-care system that can cope with an impending surge in demand. The Saudi health-care system currently spends at an unsustainable pace and cannot bear the growing pressure posed by the rising prevalence of noncommunicable diseases. The innovative technological strides in the Saudi health-care system are not just for show; they are a strategic response to ensure that the health-care infrastructure can withstand impending health-care challenges.
