Health Informatics in Saudi Arabia

---

Healthcare in Saudi Arabia is owned, organised, and funded primarily by the government, with the Ministry of Health as the central authority.. The health sector is currently undergoing transformation under Vision 2030, where digital health and informatics play a key role in achieving better access, efficiency, and quality of care.

Healthcare System Structure

Ministry of Health (MoH)

The MoH was officially established by Royal Decree No. 5/11/8697 dated 26-08-1370H (1951), centralising the Kingdom’s health affairs under one specialised body.

Its core roles include providing healthcare at all levels, promoting public health, setting regulations for public and private health sectors, and fostering research, training, and health investments.

Other government healthcare providers

In addition to the MoH, several other government agencies own and manage their own healthcare systems, serving specific populations: Ministry of Defense and Aviation, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, Social Insurance and Youth Welfare agencies, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Saudi Arabian Airlines, and Universities via their medical colleges and hospitals.

Private sector healthcare providers

Private healthcare sector includes hospitals, clinics, laboratories, pharmacies, diagnostics centres, and physiotherapy facilities. The private sector operates under the oversight and regulation of the MoH and other relevant authorities.

As of 2023, there are about 499 hospitals in total: approximately 290 are MoH-run, around 59 are operated by other government organisations, and 150 are privately operated.

Key Regulators & Accreditation Bodies

Regulatory/Accreditation Body	Role
Ministry of Health (MoH)	The MoH website provides key resources that support healthcare regulation through two main sections: the Publications page, which offers guidelines, manuals, reports, and policies that translate regulations into practical standards of care, and the Regulations page, which contains the official laws, procedural guides, and regulatory frameworks governing the health sector.
Council of Health Insurance (CHI)	Regulates and oversees health insurance in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Health Council (SHC)	A Strategic policy-making and coordination body for the health sector.
Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions (CBAHI)	Main accreditation body for hospitals, clinics, and labs in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA)	Regulates pharmaceuticals, food safety, cosmetics, medical devices, and biotech products.
Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS)	Regulates healthcare professionals and their licensing.
Saudi Patient Safety Center (SPSC)	A National authority dedicated to improving patient safety.

Health Informatics-Related Regulators

Regulatory Body	Role in Health Informatics
National Health Information Center (NHIC)	National authority for managing, governing, and enabling the exchange of health information and digital health systems.
Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA)	Data governance and AI oversight.
Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA)	In addition to pharmaceuticals and food safety, it regulates medical devices, including digital health tools, medical software and AI/ML devices.
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT)	Provides IT infrastructure and digital certification systems.
National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA)	Sets cybersecurity policies and controls that safeguard health data, clinical systems, cloud platforms, and critical digital infrastructure.
National Committee of Bioethics (NCBE)	Provides ethical oversight for health research, approves protocols, ensures protection of human subjects, patient data confidentiality, and compliance with national and international bioethics standards.

Healthcare Delivery and Patient Access

Levels of Care

The healthcare system in Saudi Arabia is structured into three primary levels of care:

1. Primary Care: Delivered through a network of primary healthcare centres (PHCs), which offer basic healthcare services, including preventive care, health education, and screening services.

2. Secondary Care: Provided through general hospitals that offer specialised services beyond the scope of primary care, including diagnostic services and treatment for more complex conditions.

3. Tertiary Care: Offered at specialised hospitals that provide advanced medical services and treatments for complex health conditions, often requiring specialised expertise and equipment.

Patient Access to Healthcare

Patients can access healthcare services through various routes, primarily facilitated by the MoH and other healthcare sector providers. The main pathways include:

- Direct access to public primary healthcare centres: First point of contact for preventive care, routine check-ups, and chronic disease management.

- Referral system or direct access to public hospitals: Emergency care and specialised treatment.

- Direct access to private clinics and hospitals: Direct access with insurance or self-pay.

- Ambulance: Requesting ambulance services by calling the Saudi Red Crescent Authority on 997.

- E-Health platforms: Online consultations, appointments, and health monitoring, e.g. via Sehhaty App.

- Telemedicine via the MoH 937 service centre.

Public Health

The MoH is the primary governmental body responsible for overseeing public health and epidemiology in Saudi Arabia. It is tasked with formulating health policies, implementing health programs, and monitoring health indicators across the Kingdom .

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) complements the MoH by providing national statistical data, including health-related indicators.

Availability and Content of Public Health Data

The MoH Statistical Yearbook is an annual publication that provides health data for Saudi Arabia. It contains information on health indicators, health resources, public health activities, and Hajj health services. The yearbook is published in Arabic, with most sections provided with English translation.

Technology and Digital Transformation

National Digital Transformation

The Digital Government Authority (DGA) is the Saudi government body responsible for overseeing the digital transformation of public services. It sets regulations, issues guidelines, and facilitates integration across government entities to enable seamless service delivery. In 2024, Saudi Arabia ranked 6th globally in the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a jump of 25 places compared to the previous assessment. The EGDI is a composite index, published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), that measures how ready and able governments are to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to deliver public services.

Hospital Digital Maturity Assessment

The Saudi eHealth Maturity Assessment (SeMA) is a national initiative led by the National Health Information Center (NHIC) to evaluate the digital maturity of healthcare facilities across Saudi Arabia. The assessment framework covers multiple dimensions, including strategy and governance, patient experience, workforce competencies, applications and infrastructure, privacy and security, interoperability, business intelligence, and emerging technologies. SeMA aims to provide a standardised measure of digital adoption and readiness in hospitals and other healthcare organisations, supporting the Kingdom’s broader Vision 2030 objectives for healthcare transformation.

A recent study assessed digital health readiness in 9 hospitals in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province using the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Digital Health Indicators (HIMSS DHI) Rapid Assessment tool. The HIMSS DHI is a framework that measures hospital digital capabilities across four areas: interoperability, governance and workforce, person-enabled health, and predictive analytics. The hospitals scored between 70 and 80 out of 100, with governance and workforce scoring highest and predictive analytics lowest. These scores indicate that the hospitals have implemented many digital capabilities and show moderate-to-strong readiness for digital transformation, although there is still room for improvement, particularly in predictive analytics.

Health Technology Landscape

Saudi Arabia has implemented several digital health technologies to support virtual care, mobile health, AI, remote monitoring, and interoperability. Examples of these initiatives include:

Category	Example	Description / Scope
Virtual Healthcare	Seha Virtual Hospital	A virtual hospital linking 120+ hospitals. Services (e.g., virtual consultations, specialist care) are integrated and accessed via the Sehhaty app. Operated by the Ministry of Health.
Telemedicine	937 Call Services	National telemedicine and health hotline providing medical consultations. In 2023, more than 3 million calls were received, reflecting the growing acceptance of digital health services.
mHealth Apps	Sehhaty	National health platform providing personal health records, e-prescriptions, vaccination records, appointment booking, and teleconsultations.
Wearables / Telemonitoring	Hajj Pilgrim Health Monitoring	Pilgrims are provided wearable devices to monitor heart rate, temperature, and oxygen saturation. Data is transmitted in real time to MoH command centres to track health trends, detect emergencies, and optimise medical resource allocation.
Health Information Systems	National Platform for Health and Insurance Exchange Services (NPHIES)	Unified health information exchange managed by NHIC; supports e-referrals, insurance processing, and patient record access across public and private sectors.

Data Standards and Interoperability

The primary authority responsible for healthcare data standards and interoperability is the NHIC. The NHIC plays a central role in setting national standards for health data exchange, interoperability, and digital health infrastructure. Examples of key standards and frameworks:

- Saudi Health Data Dictionary (SHDD): A comprehensive reference that defines data elements, codes, and terminologies used across the healthcare system.

- Saudi Health Information Exchange Policies (IS0303): A set of policies that govern the secure and standardised exchange of health information across the country

Education

Institutions Offering Health Informatics Programs

A number of higher-education institutions in Saudi Arabia offer dedicated degrees in health informatics, including:

Institution	Program(s) in Health Informatics
King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences	Bachelor & Master in Health Informatics
Saudi Electronic University	Bachelor in Health Informatics
Qassim University	Bachelor in Health Informatics
Majmaah University	Bachelor in Health Informatics
Jazan University	Bachelor in Health Informatics
King Faisal University	Bachelor in Health Informatics
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University	Bachelor in Health Information Management & Technology
Umm Al-Qura University	Bachelor in Health Information Management & Technology
Inaya Medical Colleges	Bachelor in Health Informatics

Vision 2030 healthcare strategy

The Health Sector Transformation Program (HSTP) is designed to restructure Saudi Arabia’s healthcare into a value-based, patient-centred, integrated system. Its main goals include:

- Expanding access to healthcare (fair geographical coverage, hospital capacity, affordability, timely access).

- Prioritising public health, disease prevention, and crisis management.

- Providing free health services and insurance to all citizens through the Center for National Health Insurance.

- Improving quality of care by setting national standards for governance and reducing duplication in services.

- Ensuring financial sustainability and reducing the growth of public healthcare spending.

- Building resilience to health challenges and achieving self-sufficiency in medical supplies (70% local sourcing of priority items).

- Raising life expectancy from 75 to 80 years.

- Strengthening traffic safety by reducing injuries, accidents, and violations.

Core Challenges facing Saudi Arabia's healthcare:

Chronic Diseases and Premature Deaths

Saudi Arabia faces a high burden of chronic diseases, with around 90,000 citizens dying prematurely each year and life expectancy 5.2 years below the global average. To address this, the Health Sector Transformation Program emphasises preventive care, targeting conditions such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, respiratory illnesses, mental health issues, congenital diseases, and traffic-related injuries. By shifting the healthcare model from treatment-focused to prevention-centred, the program aims to reduce avoidable deaths and improve overall population health.

Rising Diabetes Prevalence

The number of people with diabetes is projected to nearly double from 4.6 million in 2016 to 8.4 million by 2030. The program responds by reinforcing preventive health strategies, promoting healthier lifestyles, and implementing early detection initiatives to control the disease’s growth and reduce its long-term health and economic impact.

Population Growth and Increasing Demand

With the Kingdom’s population expected to rise from 33.4 million in 2018 to 39.4 million in 2030, there is mounting pressure on healthcare services. The transformation program plans to expand hospital capacity, recruit and train medical staff, improve the geographical distribution of services, and enhance access to high-quality care to meet the growing demand efficiently.

Governance and Emergency Readiness

Current governance gaps and limited agility in emergency response present challenges to healthcare quality and population safety. The program seeks to strengthen governance through a single regulatory body, clear accountability mechanisms, and improved coordination among government entities. Enhanced emergency preparedness and response systems will also ensure the health system is resilient against crises such as pandemics or natural disasters.

Regulatory Conflicts of Interest

The overlap of roles between the Ministry of Health as regulator, payer, and service provider can reduce transparency and efficiency. By separating these functions, the program enhances governance, accountability, and coordination, ensuring that healthcare delivery, investment, and oversight operate smoothly and in the best interest of beneficiaries.

Duplication of Services and Financing

Overlapping healthcare services and financing mechanisms have caused inefficiencies and wasted resources. The program addresses this by integrating primary, secondary, and specialised care, establishing standardised treatment protocols, measuring health outcomes, and streamlining financing to reduce duplication and optimise resource use.

Workforce Gap and Reliance on Foreign Labour

A shortage of skilled healthcare workers has increased dependence on foreign labour. The transformation program emphasises developing local workforce capacity through training, professional development, and career incentives, aiming to build a sustainable, skilled national workforce capable of meeting future healthcare needs.

Key Structural Reforms

- Transition from a treatment-focused model to a prevention-focused model.

- Integrate care across primary, secondary, and specialised levels, and expand long-term, rehabilitation, and home care.

- Invest in digital, electronic, and virtual healthcare infrastructure.

- Update policies and legal frameworks to encourage private sector involvement.

- Establish national treatment protocols, outcome measurement systems, and workforce training.

References

This article "Health Informatics in Saudi Arabia" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Health Informatics in Saudi Arabia. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

---