Health & Life Sciences
From The Report: Saudi Arabia 2022
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The health care sector in Saudi Arabia receives an average of 16.5% of the government’s annual budget, reflecting its importance to socio-economic development. The Covid-19 pandemic placed significant pressure on health care systems worldwide, yet the intensified throughput allowed governments to identify weaknesses in their health services and supply chains. Saudi Arabia’s substantial sovereign reserves have seen it emerge from the worst of the pandemic in a strong position to remedy the vulnerabilities exposed by the unprecedented events of 2020-22. Moving forwards, the government plans to increase efforts to create an integrated, high-quality, value-based health care system. Public-private partnerships are targeted at strengthen specific areas of health care infrastructure, while investment in research and development capacity is set to increase.

This chapter contains an interview with Hisham bin Saad Aljadhey, CEO, Saudi Food and Drug Authority; and Fahad Al Shebel, CEO, the National Unified Procurement.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Rapid transformation: Government investment and widespread digitisation of public services put the sector on a positive growth trajectory
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The health care sector in Saudi Arabia receives an average of 16.5% of the government’s annual budget, reflecting its importance to socio-economic development. The Covid-19 pandemic placed significant pressure on health care systems worldwide, yet the intensified throughput allowed governments to identify weaknesses in their health services and supply chains. Saudi Arabia’s substantial sovereign reserves have seen it emerge from the worst of the pandemic in a strong position to remedy the vulnerabilities…

Interview

New and improved: Hisham bin Saad Aljadhey, CEO, Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), on innovative technologies that boost product safety
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Interview: Hisham bin Saad Aljadhey To what extent has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted medical innovation and related regulatory processes in Saudi Arabia? HISHAM BIN SAAD ALJADHEY: The pandemic posed challenges to accessing food, drugs and medical devices around the world. The agility of SFDA was greatly tested during the pandemic, and it had to adapt its regulations to accommodate supply chain disruptions. The authority worked closely with the government and private sector to encourage the local…

Interview

Robust recovery: Fahad Al Shebel, CEO, National Unified Procurement Company (NUPCO), on boosting local competitiveness
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Interview:Fahad Al Shebel Considering the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which strategies are expected to underpin the development of the local health sector? FAHAD AL SHEBEL: Recent years have been exceptional due to the disruptions caused by the pandemic and the subsequent challenges in global supply chains, some of which we are still experiencing today. NUPCO rapidly adapted its operations by expanding public procurement capabilities and opening a pharmaceutical supply centre to deal with…

Analysis

Healthy payoff: Investment in local pharmaceuticals manufacturing and modernisation of processes proves beneficial
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Two key entities have been central to the recalibration and fortification of the medical supply chain in Saudi Arabia. The National Unified Procurement Company (NUPCO) is responsible for medical supplies and equipment procurement, and supply chain regulation; and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) regulates and monitors foods, drugs, medicines, and diagnostic devices. The entities’ strategic focus on reinforcing the medical supply chain through competition and transparent, thorough operations…