Saudi Arabia’s growing health pains... and how to cure them
An in-depth health report by Colliers says that life expectancy is on the rise, but so are diseases like diabetes. An extra 110,000 hospital beds will be needed by 2030 to address the demands of a booming population.
DUBAI: An increase in life expectancy, an expected 19 million babies and alarming rises in obesity and diabetes are all set to put pressure on Saudi Arabia’s health-care sector — with as many as 178,000 new hospital beds required by 2050.
These are the key findings of an in-depth report on health care in the Kingdom, which sets out how the sector urgently needs to respond to a booming population, changing demographics and the burden of chronic diseases.
The report, “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — Healthcare Overview 2018,” released exclusively to Arab News by advisory firm Colliers International, highlights the challenges faced over the next three decades. These include the demand for greater maternity and pediatric care, and more geriatric services — but also outlines the “lucrative” business opportunities the sector offers for overseas investors.
“Under Vision 2030, the country is going through fundamental structural changes in all the sectors, including the health-care sector,” said Mansoor Ahmed, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) director of real estate, health care, education and PPP for Colliers International. “The health-care sector in KSA is undergoing evolution on the back of rapid advancements in technology, research and development (R&D) in line with the global and regional trends. Recent trends and industry dynamics require operators in the health-care sector to make challenging decisions.”
Ahmed said one of the main challenges is tackling the huge projected shortfall in the number of hospital beds across the country.
Saudi Arabia, the largest country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has a current estimated population of about 32.6 million which is expected to reach
77.2 million by 2050, growing at 2.65 percent a year, the Kingdom’s historical growth rate.
This, said Ahmed, means Saudi Arabia will need a further 110,000 beds by 2030, and 178,000 beds by 2050, if applying the world’s ratio of 2.7 beds per 1,000 people.