The Saudi Health ministry plans to attract US$7.3 billion from the private sector and increase the participation of private investors from the current 25% level, to 35% by 2030. The aim is to reduce dependence on state healthcare, while reducing outbound medical tourism and developing inbound medical travel.
Saudi Arabia is seeking to operate medical cities, hospitals and primary care centres via private sector investment, and so reduce the health sector’s over reliance on the government national budget.
The Ministry of Health has launched a US$187 million project to build and operate Al-Ansar Hospital in Al Madinah, with a capacity of 244 beds. The partnership contract will be signed during the fourth quarter of this year.
The Ministry is also seeking to sell 74 state primary health care centres in the Kingdom, with initial investment of US$266 million. This partnership contract may be signed during the third quarter of 2022.
Work is ongoing on a US$6.1 billion project to establish two medical cities with a capacity of 1,500 beds in the regions of Asir and Al-Jouf, aiming to provide specialised health services to the residents of the southern and northern regions of the Kingdom. The Ministry expects the partnership contract to be signed in the second quarter of 2023.
According to the Ministry of Health, medical tourists go to Dubai, USA, UK, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain. Local medical tourism agencies suggest that most go to Germany or Turkey.
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