As part of efforts to make health care spending more efficient, the government is forging ahead with a number of digitisation initiatives under the banner of its electronic health, or e-health, programme. The need for such a strategy has been precipitated by a “perfect storm demanding continued transformation in health care”, according to Munir Ismet, HP’s head of cloud business for public sector, health care and education in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, speaking at the Fifth Saudi eHealth Conference in November 2014. He

Over the past decade, Saudi Arabia has successfully promoted the development of local pharmaceuticals manufacturing, with their share of the market rising from 14% to 18% between 2008 and 2012. Many of these companies started as sole importers and distributors of pharmaceuticals, and went on to develop their capabilities, in some cases by forming partnerships and joint ventures with global and regional firms. Most local pharmaceuticals firms remain focused on producing generics, but some are also involved in contract manufacturing on behalf of international firms.

The rapid expansion of the health care system in Saudi Arabia has increased demand for health workers, from doctors and nurses to hospital administrators and pharmacists. As part of the Kingdom’s ongoing transformation into a knowledge-based economy, and with a view towards the sector’s long-term sustainability, the government is investing heavily in medical education and training for nationals. These efforts are already yielding results in terms of raising the proportion of Saudis working in the health sector, though there are parts of the system –