Healthcare

Private sector participation in Saudi Healthcare picks up pace

Saudi Arabia has recently undertaken initiatives to increase private sector participation in its healthcare sector and improve competency of its healthcare workforce. The country has also highlighted key segments of focus in the healthcare sector. Saudi Arabia’s growing population with expected increase in average age and rising lifestyle related diseases are indicative of the uptrend in demand for healthcare in the country. As the Saudi Healthcare sector is predominantly operated by Ministry of Health (MoH), the demand could overload public...

UAE F&B Sector – What are the pain points?

The total outlets in UAE for food services were 16,000+ in 2015 which is expect to expand by 17.4% annually to reach 19,000+ by 2020 (KPMG report). The market size for food and beverage (F&B) in UAE was measured at USD 14.27Bn and is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 9% to reach USD 22.32Bn by 2020. While an affluent population with more mouths to feed is a positive indicator for the economy and for the F&B...

Healthcare in Saudi Arabia – where are the opportunities?

The government is benevolent to the extent that it pays for all medical charges even outside the country if it is deemed necessary for a patient to travel abroad for advanced healthcare facilities. Saudi’s healthcare system is comprised of three service providers – the Ministry of Health (MoH) hospitals, government hospitals and private hospitals. However, gaps are evident in the services offered to the people. The kingdom is projected to require 15,888 beds in 2018, accounting for almost 50 per...

Healthcare in Saudi Arabia – Will the future tide move towards private sector?

Saudi Arabia has one of the fastest growing populations in the GCC region, indicating a spiraling future demand for healthcare facilities. Despite huge government spending in healthcare facilities and growth of the sector in the past, health care infrastructure in Saudi Arabia needs to be elevated to match international standards. Apart from the constraints on government expenditure in the current scenario of lower oil prices, healthcare market also needs to overcome challenges such as dependency on imports for medicines and...

KSA Obesity: Key Questions

There has been a welcome surge in the economic prosperity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). With prosperity, socio-cultural and lifestyle changes have emerged. This is like a curator’s egg, good in parts. The disturbing part is the increased incidence of a dangerous medical condition, namely obesity. Once considered a Western phenomenon, it is now very much an Arabic problem: it hurts people medically, and the kingdom financially.    “Obesity” and “Diabetes” are close cousins.   Type-2 diabetes, a...