Saudi Arabia announced that one of the goals of the health sector transformation program was to increase the private sector’s contribution to 50 percent, from the current 11 percent.
Saudi Minister of Health Fahd Al-Jalajel inaugurated on Sunday the “nphies” platform, which aims to facilitate the exchange of beneficiary health information with healthcare providers.
The platform was announced on the sidelines of the Global Health Forum 2023 in Riyadh, with the participation of Minister of Investment Eng. Khaled Al-Falih, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef, and Governor of the Digital Government Authority Eng. Ahmed Alsuwaiyan.
In his opening speech, Al-Jalajel revealed the launch of the Saudi Center for Proton Therapy, the first of its kind in the region, which provides patients with an advanced and promising technology and contributes significantly to promoting medical tourism in Saudi Arabia.
The minister noted that the average coverage of health services in the Kingdom increased from 81 to 94 percent, pointing to the establishment of three specialized companies that help restructure the health sector in the country.
Healthcare is one of the main components of Vision 2030, as Saudi Arabia seeks to develop the pharmaceutical industry in particular and various health services. In June, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) established a new entity to attract pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to invest in the development of pharmaceutical products, including insulin, vaccines and plasma treatments.
Al-Jalajel spoke about increasing the health sector’s contribution to the GDP from SAR 199 billion to SAR 318 billion in 2030, of which the private sector’s share will constitute about SAR 145 billion.
For his part, Al-Falih said 15 percent of the value of government investments was directed to the health sector, expecting increased spending on medical prevention.
During a session entitled, “Investing in Health in the Kingdom”, he stressed that the pharmaceutical industries represented promising opportunities to contribute to the health sector, and to fulfill Saudi Arabia’s aspirations to promote the citizens’ quality of life.
Alkhorayef announced that Sudair City will become a hub for the pharmaceutical industry in the Kingdom, as it now encompasses 40 factories operating in this field. He also revealed two new agreements that will contribute to the localization of the pharmaceutical insulin industry by 80-90 percent.
