By Hanan Alnufaie
Saudi Gazette
“Kingdom has chosen the right path in moving towards privatization. The government moves from a primary provider of healthcare to a regulator of quality and a healthcare manager. It is a necessary move,” said Dr. Maan Fares, a cardiologist and vice department chair of Global Patient Services at Cleveland.
Dr. Fares, a speaker at the Saudi American Healthcare Forum (SAHF) that was held at Ritz-Carlton Riyadh from April 23-26, made this statement to Saudi Gazette on the sidelines of the forum, whose theme was “Mapping the 2030 Transformation of the KSA Healthcare Sector: The Road to Privatization”.
The forum was held under the aegis of Health Minister Dr. Tawfiq Al Rabiah.
“Every government is looking to limit their expenditure on healthcare. I believe that by the government choosing to privatize some of their hospitals and to ensure in the private sector a delivery model is the right move. However, the Ministry of Health is very accurate in assuring delivery of high-quality health services to its citizens,” he added.
He believes that the Saudi market in any discipline is considered one of the best markets in the world. “Investors are very keen to step into that market. They will find an opportunity to participate. However, succeeding in that market needs vibrant cooperation between MOH, healthcare providers. These three entities must effectively interact together for the model to be successful,” he said.
He also emphasized the significant role played by the insurance sector. “Private insurance has to grow in the market because insurance by default is an element that shares the risk. Because if there is no private insurance, the healthcare providers will be less likely to get into the market,” Dr. Fares said.
There are expectations about that the privatization is going to be implemented in phases. “I think that we are going to see some transformation in the market within the next few years. It will be gradually phased in a step wise approach,” he said.
He explained the importance of moving from one-size hospitals to adopting integrated healthcare systems in Kingdom.
“One-size delivery model will be relatively inefficient in the way it is built. These types of hospitals usually cost enormous amount of money. We need integrated healthcare system that really focuses on prevention, primary care, and acute care.
“Integrated in a way means that what you do in a certain part will have an effect on other parts, for example, if the doctor is able to move the patient from intensive care unit quickly to the ward and then to rehab and ultimately to their home where they belong. That is going to cost much less. How can you integrate all those steps? You can by having a vertically integrated healthcare system. It is about transferring and putting the patient at the best place for best treatment and care,” he said.
Moving to importance of implementing information technology in healthcare, he said that it is more likely to be the first transformation the public will see in Saudi Arabia. It enhances efficiency.
