Regulatory Reforms
STA / Saudi Arabia
The key facts about Regulatory Reforms in Saudi Arabia. Prepared in association with STA, an international law firm, this is an extract from The Pharma Legal Handbook: Saudi Arabia, available to purchase here for GBP 99.
1. Are there proposals for reform or significant change to the healthcare system?
The government is now ardently pursuing private sector development and has initiated privatization and marketization as a core strategy of reforms in its health system. The review has indicated that by mid-2019, the reform has contributed to an increase of 37.5% in the rate of PHC visits and 4.7% increase in patient satisfaction, enhanced coverage of rural communities (from 78% to 83%), and contributed to increasing the screening rate for prevalent chronic diseases.
PHC reform process in Saudi Arabia has demonstrated that positive change is achievable. This has been aided by building on previous accomplishments and the wealth of experience gained throughout the PHC journey in Saudi Arabia. However, despite improvement in the quality of services, continuous improvement is required to meet the rising expectations of the population.
2. When are they likely to come into force?
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health embarked on reforming its health sector as part of a wider agenda for transforming all government sectors as envisioned in Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Programme 2020. In line with Vision 2030, the reform agenda proposed under the National Transformation
Programme 2020 further underlines the importance of bridging the gap to accessing health services, emphasizing universal health coverage.
