Saudi Arabia‘s rising need for private sector healthcare

Over the coming years, Saudi Arabia is likely to experience a sharp increase in its healthcare needs. Most observers believe that population growth, a slowly aging society, and the conditions that affluence often exacerbates, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer, will create a tremendous new demand for healthcare services. “Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system is ripe for investment opportunities,” according to a senior associate at Booz Allen Hamilton. “The growing affluence of Saudi Arabia and the GCC region as a whole will mean that the healthcare systems of these nations will need both money and expertise from outside sources in order to cope with an aging, yet well-to-do population.” At present, the Saudi Arabian government funds most of the demand for healthcare capital and operating expenditures. However, analysts believe that government alone will struggle to continue to meet this demand. They have concluded that the only