The Saudi Arabia government has embarked on the development of an alternative healthcare system courtesy of the National Transformation Program 2020. The government hopes to achieve quality healthcare and efficient service delivery in the face of the drop in oil prices, which have exerted pressure on government spending (Alharbi, 2018). Currently, the healthcare system runs on an electronic system where patients receive free treatment. An alternative system must meet the needs of the society and achieve cost-effectiveness for invested resources.
The new healthcare system is geared towards including the private sector in the medical care. Inclusion of private providers is bound to reduce the pressure on government resources through a liberalization program (Alharbi, 2018). The private sector exists to make profit out of its service and also introduce competitiveness in service delivery. Consequently, the need for a system change is justified as a departure from the free access to healthcare that favors public providers but increases government spending.
System change in the healthcare field is affected by factors in drug manufacture. Manufacturers play a critical role in healthcare delivery and government authorities must assure them of favorable patent administration that ascertains profitability (Menu, 2015). As an incentive, governments can increase funding for research to spur innovation in treatment. In the U.S. government funding amounts to 40% of research costs (Menu, 2015). A sustainable healthcare system must therefore include all stakeholders in the healthcare value chain including drug manufacturers.
The new healthcare system proposed under by the Saudi Arabia government responds to the economic realities in the country. Besides, the system seeks to incorporate the private sector in the delivery of efficient and high quality healthcare. The current system disadvantages private healthcare players due to the free access to healthcare by the citizens. A change of system will therefore increase competition in healthcare provision, which will deliver quality healthcare services for the citizens.
References
Alharbi, M. F. (2018). An analysis of the Saudi health-care system’s readiness to change in the context of the Saudi National Health-care Plan in Vision 2030. International journal of health sciences, 12(3), 83.
Menu, M. C. (2015). Making Medicines Accessible: Alternatives to the Flawed Patent System. Health and Human Rights Journal.
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