PHSSR Saudi Arabia 2025

7 Sustainability and Resilience in the Saudi Arabian Health System The Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience Background This report, developed by a team of experts and practitioners working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s health system, with the input of a broad and diverse group of expert stakeholders, provides an holistic assessment of sustainability and resilience of Saudi Arabia’s health system, and makes recommendations for its strengthening. By identifying the system’s strengths, its challenges, and potential ways forward, it is the authors’ hope that the analysis and recommendations provided in this report make a substantive contribution to policy and action to enhance the sustainability and resilience of the Saudi Arabian health system. The report has been developed against the backdrop of a major, whole-of-government, programme of reform and development, which provide essential context. Saudi Vision 2030 was launched on 25 April 2016, under the leadership of His Majesty King Salman, with a roadmap drawn up by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This initiative was driven by three overarching goals: (1) creating a vibrant society, (2) creating a thriving economy and (3) creating an ambitious nation. The objectives of the programme included promoting economic growth, raising living standards, and achieving operational distinction in public services through accelerated deployment of digital infrastructure and improved stakeholder engagement. Large-scale reforms have been initiated across the public sector, in the wider economy and across society. Despite challenges, signi ficant progress has been achieved, and this has enhanced the country’s experience and its con fidence in pursuing more meaningful and sustainable goals. The health system is no exception to this, and this report embodies a shared ambition for a more resilient, more sustainable health system in Saudi Arabia. Health sector transformation As part of Vision 2030 , signi ficant steps are being taken in the health sector with the aim of improving health service quality, e fficiency and safety. The reforms underway seek to promote the financial sustainability of the health system through innovative financing mechanisms, ensure equitable access to care, and secure continuous improvements in the quality of services for Saudi Arabia’s population. Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the Middle East and North Africa region. Its population of 36 million is growing rapidly. In 2022, it accounted for around 60% of both the total population and total health expenditure of Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The health sector is one of the government’s three top priorities, alongside education and defence, and accounts for approximately 15% of total government spending, which continues to be derived predominantly from revenues from oil and gas rather than taxation. Saudi Arabia’s demographic pro file poses certain challenges for the health sector. Striking a balance between providing healthcare for a growing older population while meeting the needs of a sizable adolescent population that exhibits comparably higher levels of chronic health conditions and other youth health problems than many other developed countries is one of the biggest challenges. By examining each of these domains, this report seeks to identify health systems’ strengths and challenges, and generate evidence-informed solutions and policy recommendations to improve sustainability and resilience. The report is divided into chapters by domain, providing a comprehensive assessment of the key components of the health system. However, it is important to recognise that the domains are complexly interrelated, and cannot be considered in isolation. Furthermore, the report includes two case studies. The first provides an overview of the award- winning Tawakkalna app, an invaluable asset in protecting population health during the Covid-19 pandemic. The second details Saudi Arabia’s experience in upholding population health during the mass gatherings of Hajj and Umrah in the context of the pandemic.