PHSSR Saudi Arabia 2025

fulfil 380,000 orders. This stock of medical supplies, medications and medical equipment acts as a buffer, thus avoiding the rami fications of production interruptions to the supply chain. e-health The Saudi government is currently implementing an e-health system to provide accessible health services for its population. Electronic health records are being expanded to include more accurate disease and condition information. Given the predicted increased demand for health professionals in the next decade, the adoption of medical technologies should improve e fficiency and quality of care. The integration of digital health services with existing services is part of the MoH’s Digital Health Strategy which aims to provide easier patient access to medical consultations at cost-effective rates. Among the key technologies being integrated into the healthcare sector are the Internet of Things, 5G, arti ficial intelligence, electronic medical records (EMR), picture archive and communication systems (PACS) and health portals. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Saudi Arabia introduced digital applications such as SEHHA, Sehaty, Tetamman and Tabaud (see section 4.2). Digital health services regulation is overseen by the MoH and falls under the country’s Digital Health Laws and Regulations Framework, which de fines digital health as “the cost-effective and secure use of information and communication technologies in support of health and health-related goals.” The potential economic bene fits of digital healthcare are signi ficant. The Centre for Improving Value in Health estimates that it could generate economic bene fits of up to $27 billion by 2030, potentially unlocking up to 15% of Saudi Arabia’s total projected health expenditure for 2030, which could be used to enhance patient outcomes (McKinsey & Company, 2022). These potential savings come from five areas of economic bene fit: (1) virtual interactions, (2) self-care and self- service, (3) decision intelligence systems, (4) paperless operations and (5) automated work flow. Electronic patient records (EPR) have been implemented in almost all health care facilities in Saudi Arabia, although adoption has been slow at the national level owing to challenges such as resistance from some health care professionals, poor computer literacy, lack of system customisation and poor support and training from information technology personnel. (AlSadrah SA, 2020), However, in 2008, the MoH launched an initiative to expand and optimise the use of EPRs in governmental health care institutions, demonstrating its efforts to improve the situation. Currently, EPRs are readily accessible across primary and secondary care settings in Saudi Arabia. Efforts to expand and optimise the use of EPRs in governmental health care institutions are currently underway, with the aim of improving the management of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) at primary health care centres. Staff training in the use of EPRs is an important component of such efforts. The extent and rate of adoption of mobile technologies in Saudi Arabia has the potential to enable and accelerate the utilisation of digital health solutions, including telehealth, patient portal and remote patient monitoring. For example, the main Saudi payment network, Mada (meaning ‘horizon’) has reported that use of mobile payment services, such as Apple Pay, increased by 71% in June 2022 compared with the previous year. Saudi Arabia is also ranked 39th in the list of countries with the fastest internet speeds for fixed connections and ninth fastest for mobile connections, likely due to the high rate of 5G adoption in the country (SpeedTest, website). The adoption of these digital technologies bene fits health service providers and the health system and can assist in tackling key health service challenges, including access, quality and patient safety, cost-effectiveness and system resilience. Therefore, many private and public health organisations in Saudi Arabia have accelerated the implementation of digital technologies, such as EMR systems, and have reached a high level of digital maturity. According to the Health care Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), several of Saudi Arabia’s hospitals are equipped with the highest level of EMR digital maturity, measured using the HIMSS EMR Adoption Model (EMRAM). EMRAM consists of eight stages ranging from stage zero, indicating the non-existence of even basic IT and digital health components, and increasing to stage seven, indicating the meaningful adoption 52 Sustainability and Resilience in the Saudi Arabian Health System The Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience