Healthcare System in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Saudis receive their healthcare from one of several ways:

1) From a public, Ministry of Health-funded service; 2) From a military hospital, of which there are two branches (the Saudi Arabian National Guard and the Ministry of Defense and Aviation); 3) From a hospital for government employees; 4) From a subspecialized referral hospital; 5) From private, for-profit hospital; 6) From a private hospital for employees of a specific industry.

The breakdown of facilities is as follows:

1) Ministry of Health Facilities
These serve the general public and are located in both the large cities and the small towns throughout Saudi Arabia. The largest are the 1,200-bed King Fahd Medical City and 1,500-bed King Saud Medical City, Riyadh.

2) Military Hospitals
These serve members of the Saudi Arabia armed forces and members of their families. There are two branches of armed forces: The Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) and the Ministry of Defence and Aviation (MODA).

A) Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG)

SANG is the branch of the military that is involved chiefly with internal threats.. SANG hospitals provide care to the soldiers of the Saudi Arabian National Guard and their dependents, and include:

• King Abdulaziz Medical City – Riyadh (900 beds, formerly the King Fahad National Guard Hospital), this complex includes the King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital (600 beds, plus 60 bed ER and 70 day care and infusion beds);
• King Abdulaziz Medical City – Jeddah (751 beds, formerly the King Khalid National Guard Hospital);
• Imam Abdulrahman Al Faisal Hospital – Dammam (112 beds);
• King Abdulaziz Hospital – Al Ahsa (300 beds);
• Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Hospital – Medina (215 beds)

B) Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defence and Aviation (MODA)

MODA provides defense against primarily external threats. MODA includes the Saudi Arabian Army, the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, the Royal Saudi Air Force and Royal Saudi Air Defence. MODA hospitals provide care to the soldiers of MODA and their dependents, and include:

• Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital (also known as Riyadh Military Hospital Al Kharj), Riyadh (1,100+ beds);
• Prince Sultan Cardiac Center, Riyadh (174 beds);
• King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah (420 beds);
• Prince Sultan Military Medical City, which includes the Al-Hada Hospital (400 beds), the Taif Rehabilitation Centre (100 beds), and two primary outpatient clinics, Taif *Northern Area Armed Forces Hospital (also known as King Khalid Military City) (307 beds), Hafr al Batin
• King Abdul Aziz Military City (North West Armed Forces Hospital), Tabuk (129 beds);
• King Fahd Military Medical Complex, Dhahran (316 beds);
• Armed Forces Hospital at King AbdulAziz Airbase, Al Khobar (300 beds);
• Wadi Al-Dawassir Hospital, Wadi Al-Dawassir (100 beds).
• Sharurah Armed Forces Hospital, (146 beds) Sharurah

3) Ministry of the Interior

This serves members the Ministry of the Interior, including the police and customs collectors, and their families. Hospitals include:

• Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh (500 beds)
• Security Forces Hospital, Mecca

4) Referral Hospitals

These provide specialized care, not available in other centers. These facilities include:

• King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre-Riyadh Site (970 beds);
• King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre-Jeddah Site (470 beds);
• King Khalid Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh (360 beds);
• Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City, Riyadh (300 rehabilitation beds).

5) Private Facilities for Profit

Here are just a few of the for-profit private facilities in Saudi Arabia:

• Saudi German Hospital, Jeddah
• Dr. Erfan & Bagedo Hospital, Jeddah; Kingdom Hospital, Riyadh
• SAAD Medical Centre, Al Khobar
• Soliman Fakeeh Hospital, Jeddah (600 beds, and the largest private hospital in Saudi Arabia; it is contracted to Saudi ARAMCO)

6) Private Facilities Serving Specific Industries

• Saudi ARAMCO Hospital, Dhahran & Al Hasa (405 beds and 80 beds); serves employees of the oil company Saudi ARAMCO, and their family members
• Royal Commission Hospitals, which serve employees and their family members of the Industrial cities located at: Jubail (on the east coast) and Yanbu (on the west coast) of Saudi Arabia