Overview of the Healthcare System in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Saudis receive their healthcare from one of several ways:
1) From a public, Ministry of Health-funded service;
2) From a military hospital, of which there are two branches (the Saudi Arabian National Guard and the Ministry of Defense and Aviation);
3) From a hospital for government employees;
4) From a subspecialized referral hospital;
5) From private, for-profit hospital;
6) From a private hospital for employees of a specific industry.
The breakdown of facilities is as follows:
1) Ministry of Health Facilities
These serve the general public and are located in both the large cities and the small towns throughout Saudi Arabia. The largest are the 1,200-bed King Fahd Medical City and 1,500-bed King Saud Medical City, Riyadh.
2) Military Hospitals
These serve members of the Saudi Arabian armed forces and members of their families. There are two branches of armed forces: The Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) and the Ministry of Defence and Aviation (MODA).
A) Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG)
SANG is the branch of the military that is involved chiefly with internal threats. SANG hospitals provide care to the soldiers of the
Saudi Arabian National Guard and their dependents, and include:
- King Abdulaziz Medical City - Riyadh (1500 beds, formerly the King Fahad National Guard Hospital), this complex includes the King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital (600 beds, plus 60 bed ER and 70 day care and infusion beds);
- King Abdulaziz Medical City - Jeddah (751 beds, formerly the King Khalid National Guard Hospital);
- Imam Abdulrahman Al Faisal Hospital - Dammam (112 beds);
- King Abdulaziz Hospital - Al Ahsa (300 beds);
- Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Hospital – Medina (320 beds)
B) Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defence and Aviation (MODA)
MODA provides defense against primarily external threats. MODA
includes the Saudi Arabian Army, the Royal Saudi Naval
Forces, the Royal Saudi Air Force, and Royal Saudi Air
Defence. MODA hospitals provide care to
the soldiers of MODA and their dependents, and include:
- Prince Sultan Military Medical City (formerly Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital and/or Riyadh Military Hospital Al Kharj), Riyadh (1,100+ beds);
- Prince Sultan Cardiac Center, Riyadh (174 beds);
- King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah (420 beds);
- Prince Sultan Hospital for Armed Forces, which includes the Al-Hada Hospital (400 beds), the Taif Rehabilitation Centre (100 beds), and two primary outpatient clinics, Taif
- Northern Area Armed Forces Hospital (also known as King Khalid Military City) (307 beds), Hafr al Batin
- King Salman Armed Forces Hospital In the Northwestern Region (formerly North West Armed Forces Hospital), Tabuk (900 beds; includes the King Salman Armed Forces Hospital In the Northwestern Region, the Women's Health Centre, the Prince Sultan Oncology Center, and more);
- King Fahd Military Medical Complex, Dhahran (400 beds);
- Armed Forces Hospital at King AbdulAziz Airbase, Al Khobar (300 beds);
- Wadi Al-Dawassir Hospital, Wadi Al-Dawassir (51 beds);
- Sharurah Armed Forces Hospital, Sharurah (146 beds).
3) Ministry of the Interior
This serves members the Ministry of the Interior, including the police and customs officers, and their families. Hospitals include:
- Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh (600 beds)
- Security Forces Hospital, Mecca (295 beds)
4) Referral Hospitals
These provide specialized care, not available in other centers. These facilities include:
5) Private Facilities for Profit
Here are just a few of the for-profit private facilities in Saudi Arabia:
- Saudi German Hospital, Jeddah
- Dr. Erfan & Bagedo Hospital, Jeddah; Kingdom Hospital, Riyadh
- SAAD Medical Centre, Al Khobar
- Soliman Fakeeh Hospital, Jeddah (600 beds, and the largest private hospital in Saudi Arabia; it is contracted to Saudi ARAMCO)
- Dr Sulaiman Habib Medical Group (hospitals in several cities, including Riyadh and Jeddah)
6) Private Facilities Serving Specific Industries
- Johns Hopkins Aramco Hospital, Dhahran & Al Ahsa (374 beds at Dhahran and 80 beds at Al Ahsa (with 55 beds currently open)); serves employees of the oil company Saudi ARAMCO, and their family members
- Royal Commission Hospitals, which serve employees and their family members of the Industrial cities located at: Jubail (on the east coast), approximately an hour north of the tri-cities of Dhahran-Al Khobar-Dammam and Yanbu (on the west coast) of Saudi Arabia
For more information, see:
