A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Healthcare in Saudi Arabia

Healthcare in Saudi Arabia is multitiered, segmented and growing. The Minister of Health represents the central government, which includes the larger healthcare centers and teaching hospitals, where the bulk of the academic research is done. But when you drive down any of the busy boulevards in Riyadh, it is evident that subspecialty services are popping up everywhere, with storefronts advertising everything from podiatry to Lasik surgery.

Recently, His Majesty The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, and H.E. Minister Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, Minister of Health, announced intellectual and financial investments in healthcare in order to improve and significantly expand the reach of healthcare for their citizens, with an emphasis on women’s health.

After an official visit to Saudi Arabia with John Dineen, Mike Barber and their teams, I spent several days in Riyadh to visit and talk with women representing almost all strata of Saudi society. I wanted to know more about the women the government is so enthusiastically reaching out to.

I spent evenings in women’s homes having enlightening and open-minded discussions about women’s progressive role. Women were eager to talk about their aspirations for themselves, their country and an improved healthcare system. The range of women included a group of business entrepreneurs, a member of the House of Saud, a princess who recently married into the royal family, university professors and women working in a local bazaar. What I learned as the newest member of the healthymagination team turned my conventional wisdom upside down. There is a lot to learn and opportunities for GE are everywhere.

I experienced a different view of women’s position in society. Women hold high positions in universities and by law earn the same salary for the same job as a man. But economic parity disappears quickly since women are prohibited from driving and may spend up to 30 percent of their salaries on a driver. While the divorce rate for women over the age of 50 is high, there is little social stigma, and women are comfortable making healthcare decisions. They are the gatekeepers of the family’s health.

The more educated women are aware of Western standards for breast cancer screening and the importance of getting mammograms. And contrary to what many people might assume, none of the women I spoke with had any reservation about seeing a male physician.

Saudi Arabia may offer one of the best chances to think upside down, across institutions and with mobility in mind. Even if mammography, ultrasound and MRI are available at an institution, if a woman’s driver doesn’t show up for work on the day of an appointment, she goes unscreened and undiagnosed. Instead of assuming the patient will come to the technology, how do we get the technology to the woman? Imagine screening centers in the ladies’ sections of the local malls and partnering with universities that can accommodate walk-in traffic. And how do we partner with established ambulance or van services, equipped with GE equipment and with our logo on the vehicle, to deliver care to the rural areas? Since the government owns the airwaves, why not co-create public service announcements about cancer and appropriate health and wellness programming? There is enthusiasm from the office of the Minister of Health for using broadcasting this way.

As we imagine what changes and opportunities might look like in Saudi Arabia, we need to ask if women are open to these ideas. What I heard repeatedly in palaces, living rooms, shops and around dinner tables was a resounding yes.