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Tuesday, 02 December 2008 18:02 UAE time

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Saudi to privatise health service

by This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  on Wednesday, 01 October 2008
MASSIVE OVERHAUL: Saudi Arabia plans to privatise large parts of its healthcare sector. (Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia is to privatise large parts of its healthcare sector in a bid to meet demand and raise the standard of treatment, a senior government official has said.

Dr Manar Al-Moneef, director general of healthcare and life sciences at the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), said there are plans to privatise or outsource the management of 218 government-owned hospitals, the UK's Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Al-Moneef also said another 2,000 planned hospitals and clinics are to be put under the administration of a fund overseen by the health ministry. He said these would also be either privatised or their management outsourced.

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He said the government was planning "a massive overhaul with many opportunities to build a leading competitive sector".

Al-Moneef said the government currently finances three-quarters of the healthcare sector, which he described as “unsustainable" given population growth and spiralling healthcare costs.

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READER COMMENTS

  1. UAE healthcare pay scales to be drawn up 1
    01 Dec ' 08 at 18:59
    it is very true that compared to other heslth care workers we are underpaid with all the hard work & shif tduties in the hospital...  More »
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