The cost of running health care services in Saudi Arabia has mainly increased because of changing demands and the state of health of its population. Modern health issues have emerged due to the increase in affluence, adoption of modern diets and the lack of physical activities. Both the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases as well as the share of population with diabetes have increased.
The leading expense for Saudi Arabian health care providers arises from the treatment of inpatients in hospitals. This meant that in recent years, the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has slowly but steadily improved the number of hospital beds in the country to accommodate the increased demand.
Apart from that, the Saudi Arabian government also provides its citizens with financial support to seek medical treatment abroad if they can’t get adequate care in their country.
Saudi Arabia has one of the highest densities of medical professional per thousand residents in the entire Gulf Cooperation Council region. This was only achievable through intensively recruiting foreign physicians and nurses.
Saudi Arabian society has become more health conscious in recent years, with people making use of modern technology to manage their health and fitness. In a recent survey, over a third of Saudi Arabian patients considered treatment provided by an AI or medical robot.
