Analysis of Contracts and Networks in Saudi Arabian Healthcare Sector

This report examines the healthcare landscape in Saudi Arabia, focusing on the impact of contracts and networks on its development. It highlights the significant growth in the private healthcare sector, including the expansion of private hospitals and the increasing involvement of physicians in dual practices. The report also analyzes the growth of private health insurance, with a substantial portion of the population covered, including expatriates and a growing number of Saudi citizens. Furthermore, it discusses the increasing number of specialized physicians, often trained abroad, and the opportunities available to them within the Saudi Arabian healthcare system. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for continued funding to support ongoing healthcare initiatives within the kingdom. This analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the factors shaping the healthcare environment in Saudi Arabia.

Running head: CONTRACTS AND NETWORKS IN SAUDI ARABIA 1
Contracts and Networks in Saudi Arabia
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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CONTRACTS AND NETWORKS IN SAUDI ARABIA
Contracts and Networks in Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Arabian health care setup has significantly improved in recent years. This has
mainly been caused by the increase in the wealth of the country. However, the significant growth
in the sector has been caused by the contraction of different parties in the health affairs of the
country. Some of the benefits the country has gained by contacting different parties are discussed
below.
There has been an extraordinary growth in Saudi Arabia’s private health sector for the
last ten years. The urban areas in Saudi Arabia have experienced an increase in reputable private
healthcare providers as well as the services they are offering. With this expansion, pressure has
increased on physicians to involve themselves in dual practices (Almalki, FitzGerald & Clark,
2011). This has made it attractive for consultants in the kingdom to also provide their services to
private hospitals. The growth in the number of hospitals as well as the services being provided
has increased the demand for physicians which makes it possible for physicians to engage in dual
practices both in the public and private hospitals.
Saudi Arabia has experienced growth within its private health insurance. The private
health insurance has quickly developed making it possible for the expatriate employees to be
covered. The kingdom estimates that about 11 million of its population is insured. Even though
most of them are expatriates, however, growing populations of Saudis who work in the private
sector or are interested in having another insurance cover are also covered (Mohamed et al.,
2015). Even though there some insurers that have dominated the market, there is still a lot of
health insurance providers in the kingdom.

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CONTRACTS AND NETWORKS IN SAUDI ARABIA
The health sector in Saudi Arabian has continued to experience an increase of physicians
that specializes in surgery and internal medicine. The investment the kingdom has made in its
doctors seems to be bearing fruits. The high number of these doctors receive their post-residency
fellowships in Europe, America or Canada then coming back to practice medicine in Saudi
Arabia (Mohamed et al., 2015). Regardless of the increasing number of highly specialized
doctors, there is a highly lucrative and absorptive market for these doctors which only make few
of them choose to remain as general practitioners.
In conclusion, even though Saudi Arabia has made great impacts on its healthcare
practices by involving key stakeholders, there is still a lot more that needs to be done in making
sure that there is enough funding for funding various healthcare initiatives being implemented
within the kingdom.

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CONTRACTS AND NETWORKS IN SAUDI ARABIA
References
Almalki, M., FitzGerald, G., & Clark, M. (2011). Health care system in Saudi Arabia: an
overview.
Mohamed, E. Y., Sami, W., Alotaibi, A., Alfarag, A., Almutairi, A., & Alanzi, F. (2015).
Patients’ satisfaction with primary health care Centers’ Services, Majmaah, Kingdom of
Saudi of Saudi Arabia. International journal of health sciences, 9(2), 163.