Saudi Arabia liberalises healthcare sector investment rules
01-Dec-14, Gulf Business
Saudi Arabia has introduced new rules that aim to further liberalise the country’s healthcare sector and open it for increased investments, local media reported.
As per the new regulations, experienced healthcare professionals will be allowed to move freely within institutions in the Kingdom in an effort to improve efficiency.
The amended regulations will also allow citizens who are not healthcare professionals to run hospitals in the country. In addition, the new rules will also allow global healthcare companies to invest in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s healthcare market, although growing steadily, has been largely restricted by local ownership rules that earlier required all hospitals to be owned 100 per cent by Saudi firms or Saudi doctors. Saudi Arabia is also expected to be the largest healthcare market in the GCC, accounting for 58.2 per cent of the total market in 2018.