Healthcare in Saudi Arabia

The standard of healthcare in Saudi Arabia is high and widely accepted as equal in quality to that of the USA and Western Europe.  The nation’s small population benefits from the numerous medical facilities available in both the private and public sectors, and for the most part, delayed treatment or frustrating waiting lists are nonexistent.  However, for highly specialised treatment, it can be beneficial to consider medical assistance outside of the country.

Ironically, many of Saudi Arabia’s medical staff are expats themselves, drawn to the area for the same attractive financial rewards and comparative wealth that paint a pretty picture for the remainder of the Saudi expat community.   Furthermore, numerous hospitals have foreign born roots and still operate under the auspices of imported medical discipline.

Though the Ministry of Heath offers a universal healthcare coverage system that locals and public sector expats are eligible to access, it is now compulsory for Iqama issuance/renewals for individuals to have some form of formal medical insurance.   Sponsors and employers are responsible for paying for an extensive package of services for private sector expats.

The largest and most popular insurance firms are TAWUNIYA (formerly NCCI), BUPA and MEDGULF ARABIA.

Only MEDGULF provides individual insurance for small, private endeavours. BUPA and TAWUNIYA provide the traditional Group Medical Insurance coverage for employees of larger companies. 

Typically it is the responsibility of the employer (sponsor) to provide medical insurance to expats relocating to Saudi Arabia for work purposes.  Again, it is highly recommended that if this subject is not addressed by the relevant sponsor, that expats try their best to negotiate the stipulation as part of their remuneration contract.

There is a huge range of healthcare centres and hospitals to choose from in Saudi Arabia. In Riyadh, the King Fahd Medical City is regarded as one of the best hospitals in the Middle East, while the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital is possibly the top ophthalmologic hospital in the world.

Medicines are freely available from pharmacies, in many cases without the prescription that one would require back home. A word of caution: be careful bringing medicine into the country without a prescription as the drug may be treated as an illegal narcotic.