Dr Gireesh Kumar, Associate Partner, Healthcare Advisory Services, and Shatha Alwethinani, Healthcare Consultancy Analyst at Knight Frank, explore the trends within Digital Health sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Transforming healthcare through digital health initiatives is one of the key components of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 transformation programme. The Saudi government has allocated over SAR 214 Bn on healthcare and social development sector in 2024 in comparison to SAR 167 Bn in 2020, representing a CAGR of 6.4 per cent.
This growth in budget allocated towards this sector indicates focus on meeting the objectives of Health Sector Transformation Program (HSTP) as mentioned in the image on the right.
The Global Digital Health Monitoring Survey (2023) which included responses from 63 countries identified Saudi Arabia’s digital health ecosystem as advanced, earning a maturity score of 5 out of 5 across domains such as strategy and investment, workforce, leadership and governance, standards and interoperability, infrastructure, services and application, and policy and compliance. This rating positions Saudi Arabia ahead of other MENA countries and highlights its substantial investment in digital health.
The journey of shifting to a tech-driven healthcare system started in 2010. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a catalyst for accelerating the digital health agenda and increasing the adoption of digital solutions.
Key initiatives in the government sector
Sehhaty
In 2023, the app was observed to have 30m beneficiaries – a 15 per cent increase from 2022.
Brief: An application which enables users to access personal health information such as lab reports, medical records, managing appointments and medications, and more
End User: B2C, All citizens and residents of KSA
Outcome: The app is a transformative shift towards a more efficient, patient-centred healthcare system empowering individuals to be actively involved in their health management.
Seha Virtual Hospital (SVH)
Established in 2022, SVH has a network of 170 hospitals catering to 123,000 beneficiaries.
Brief: A pioneer project and one of the largest virtual hospitals uses innovative technology to support hospitals through a telemedicine network with a variety of services including, but not limited to, emergency and critical care, cardiology, psychiatry, neurology, and other specialised clinics. SVH also uses Augmented Reality to guide surgeons during procedures.
End User: B2B: Hospitals
Outcome: Facilitates easy access to specialised healthcare and contributes towards promoting knowledge transfer to improve patient outcomes.
National Platform for Health and Insurance Exchange Services (NPHIES)
Since its launch in 2023, the programme has served 14m beneficiaries and processed over 350m insurance transactions
Brief: A centralised service facilitating the exchange of accurate and updated data between healthcare providers and insurance companies to automate workflow for verifying treatment eligibility, medical approvals, and financial claims.
End User: B2B: Claims Management Companies, Healthcare Providers, Insurance Companies.
Outcome: Enhances patient experience by reducing claim rejection and expediting claim processing.
Wasfaty
Since its establishment in 2022, the programme has affiliated with 2,226 primary care centres, 340 hospitals and more than 5,000 pharmacies processing in excess of 115m online prescriptions.
Brief: The MoH and National Unified Procurement Company (NUPCO) have an agreement to provide a platform which connects primary care centres and hospitals with a vast network of community pharmacies.
End User: B2B: Government Primary Healthcare Centres and Hospitals.
Outcome: Ensures the availability of medications, minimises stock expirations, and improves both patient experience and safety.
Key initiatives in the semi-government sector
EyenAI
Launched in 2023 the programme provides ophthalmology results in 10 seconds. It can cater to more than 4m Saudis that are diabetic, with 20 per cent of them having diabetic retinopathy.
Brief: An advanced AI technology that detects signs of diabetic retinopathy through an AI model. It has been developed through a collaborative effort of the Saudi Data and AI authority (SDAIA), King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, LEAN Business Services, and the Saudi Company for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI).
End User: B2B: Hospitals
Outcome: Maximises early detection, reduces waiting time and cost of examinations.
Key initiatives in the private sector
Labayh
Since establishment in 2018, 2.2m beneficiaries have been served by more than 1000 mental health specialists providing in excess of 70m counselling minutes.
Brief: A private telepsychology platform that delivers therapeutic and well-being services, offering access to specialised psychological counselling.
End User: B2C, Worldwide access for patients.
Outcome: Increases accessibility and user engagement through interactive and personalised features.
Tele-ICU
Operating 139 ICU beds in 6 MoH hospitals it features one of the largest Tele-ICU Command Centres in the world with the capacity to manage more than 1,000 beds.
Brief: Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group (HMG) partnered with GE Healthcare to adopt Tele-ICU technology which helps monitor patients with chronic conditions remotely within HMG network and some MoH hospitals.
End User: B2B: Hospitals
Outcome: Improves patient management and operational efficiency.
These examples depict the volume of engagement across various digital health platforms in KSA, demonstrating that end users have adopted these platforms as they provide greater access to healthcare services
According to the Ministry of Investment, KSA’s digital health market size stood at SAR 698m in 2022 and is expected to witness a CAGR of more than 25 per cent between 2022-2030. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked 6th globally in the E- Government Development Index (2024) among G20 countries, jumping 37 places since 2020, which means there is a promising investment opportunity in the digital healthcare space.
In essence, as the country continues to embrace innovative solutions to strengthen healthcare capabilities, it is paving the way for numerous opportunities for the private sector under PPP or PSP models within health clusters in areas such as tele-ICU and remote monitoring.
Some of the key projects to look forward to in 2024 include remotely controlled traffic lights by ambulance for emergency cases, and digital health solutions for early detection of chronic diseases including breast, and colon cancer. With opportunities for more projects within this space, KSA will mark a new era ensuring a future ready, tech-driven healthcare ecosystem.
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