History of Healthcare in Saudi Arabia

Amid global economic vicissitudes and unpredictable financial climate that looms over the business arena, Saudi Arabia continues to withstand and absorb the rigors as shown by the upbeat mood of its various sectors. One of them is the healthcare industry, which, as the latest study shows, will witness rapid growth. A recent report on “Saudi Arabian Healthcare Market Forecast” revealed that the government is rapidly promoting the involvement of private healthcare in the Kingdom. The Saudi Healthcare industry is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. Saudi Arabia has a large and growing population. The population is going to get older and hospitals and healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia will need to equip themselves with the knowledge and technology required to ensure this new aged population is adequately cared for.

Before the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established in 1932, health care was generally provided by local healers. One of King Abdulaziz’s first initiatives for his new state was to establish free health care, not just for citizens, but for the pilgrims who come to the Kingdom to visit the Islamic holy sites. As a result, medical facilities were set up throughout Saudi Arabia. Within a relatively short period of time, once-endemic diseases such as malaria and smallpox were virtually eradicated, the infant mortality rate plummeted, and life expectancy rose sharply. The Kingdom’s health care system also benefited tremendously from the government’s five-year development plans, the first of which was launched in 1970. These ongoing plans promote development in areas such as agriculture, commerce, industry, transportation, communication, education and health care.

Saudi Arabia has the largest health care market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), boasting the region's most technologically advanced infrastructure, state-of-the-art facilities and medical equipment. While the Saudi Ministry of Health (MoH) continues to be the main financier for this sector, public funds alone will be insufficient to meet the increasing health care needs of the Kingdom's rising population.

http://healthcareatm.com/

Healthcare and Saudi Arabia

In July 2004, Saudi Arabia’s population was estimated to be 25,795,938, with a growth rate of about 2.4 percent. The population total includes 5,576,076 non-nationals. Nearly 100,000 foreigners enter the country each year, mostly to fill specific job openings. Immigrant workers come primarily from other Arab and Muslim countries, including many from South Asia and the Philippines. Fewer than 100,000 Westerners work and live in SaudiArabia. Because most of the terrain is unsuitable for cultivation, the coastal areas and interior oases support the vast majority of the population. Some cities have reported densities of 1,000 people per square kilometer. The Mecca region, which also contains the major city of Jiddah, is the most populated area of the country, containing nearly 26 percent of the total population. Other population centers include Riyadh and the clustered Eastern Province cities of Ad Dammam, Khobar, and Dhahran. The least populated regions lie at the kingdom’s periphery, to the extreme north and south.

The Saudi government does not release comprehensive healthstatistics, but estimates on human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) place the adult prevalence rate at 0.01 percent. In 2004, 85 cases of AIDS were reported. In most recent decades, Saudi Arabia has struggled to eradicate poliomyelitis, malaria, and leishmaniasis. The health status of women and children has attracted some concern from international organizations. Islamic law condemns violence against any innocent persons, but health workers report that physical spousal abuse and violence against women appear to be common problems. To address this problem, the Saudi government has now mandated that hospitals report any suspicions of violence against women, domestic or otherwise, to law enforcement officials. Perhaps most disturbingly, abuse of children also seems to be a significant problem.

Among developing nations, as categorized by the United Nations, Saudi Arabia ranks thirtieth on the Human and Income Poverty Index, ahead of most of its Middle East neighbors. Overall, Saudi Arabia ranks 73rd out of 175 on the 2003 United Nations Development Report. Saudi Arabia, through its series of five-year Development Plans, continues to transform oil wealth into broader economic prosperity. Plans to convert the workforce, currently dominated by foreign workers, into one composed mostly of Saudis will help address the nation’s high unemployment.

The General Organization for Social Insurance provides some assistance to retired workers and those injured on the job. Old-age pensions, funded by payroll taxes, are paid to retired workers at a rate of 2.5 percent of one’s last average salary. Men must be 60 years of age and women 55 in order to begin receiving payments. Additionally, all Saudis are granted a plot of land and a small loan to build a house. Nevertheless, the perception that oil revenues are not equitably distributed throughout the population continues to create some social discontent. http://healthcareatm.com/

Healthcare in Saudi Arabia

Health Care Services in Saudi Arabia have shown a great evolution over the past two decades in both governmental and private sectors. This development in health care was the result of the upgrading technology at the facilities as well as the training and improved experience of the medical practitioners. However, the increasing number of population together with the increased awareness about health matters resulted in an increasing trend of medical practice litigations. This is reflected by the number of complaints and claims against health care providers (whether generally as a facility or individually against physicians). Thus, to handle such an impact, it was found necessary to formulate and to set standards and regulations that determine the responsibilities of health care providers towards patients. The Regulations of Medical Practice was settled by the Ministry of Health (MOH) aiming at improving the quality of health care. The Medico-legal Committee (MLC) carries the responsibility of receiving claims and investigating the professional malpractice that resulted in either morbidity or mortality. The process of investigations achieved through reviewing all patient's medical fillings and records as well as an interview of the presumed accused medical staff members, in order to reach a verdict. 

Health benefits for Saudi citizens have increased exponentially since the implementation of the first five-year Development Plan in 1970. Today, according to the Saudi government, every citizen has access to unlimited, free medical care. The government generally finances the building of health care facilities and provides the bulk of funding for health care. Healthcare expenditures account for about 4.6 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). Per capita, the government spends about US$591 annually on health care. Although spending has increased, however, management problems have hindered coordination among state, private, and military health care providers.

Statistics indicate a relatively high level of health in Saudi Arabia. According to 2001 estimates, there are about 1.7 doctors and 2.3 hospital beds per 1,000 persons. Nearly the entire Saudi population, excluding perhaps those living in the most remote regions, has access to sanitation, and 95 percent of Saudis have access to clean water. Similarly, nearly 100 percent of the population has access to affordable essential drugs. Immunization against tuberculosis and measles has increased to 94 percent of all one-year-olds. Of births that occurred between 1995 and 2001, 91 percent were attended by a trained health professional.  http://healthcareatm.com/