Saudi Arabia is currently in a transformation phase, which has resulted in a significant demand for healthcare services in the country’s healthcare system to provide better healthcare facilities for the fast-growing population and the growing elderly population. The lack of trained healthcare professionals and strong dependence on foreign labour are important aspects for policymakers to address, thus requiring Human Resource Development (HRD) initiatives to provide adequate learning and competence to a huge reserve of healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia. In this regard, this paper contributes to Saudi Arabian health care by reporting healthcare professionals’ experiences of working in the Saudi health sector under the newly proposed Vision 2030 and NTP 2020 interventions in the HRD sphere of healthcare. The Vision 2030 is a testimony to a revolutionary step taken by the Government to reform the Saudi healthcare sector and provide HRD opportunities.
References
[1]
Walston, S., Al-Harbi, Y. and Al-Omar, B. (2008) The Changing Face of Healthcare in Saudi Arabia. Annals of Saudi Medicine, 28, 243-250.
https://doi.org/10.5144/0256-4947.2008.243
[2]
Ministry of Health (2017) Annual Statistical Book. Ministry of Health, Riyadh.
[3]
Almalki, M., FitzGerald, G. and Clark, M. (2011) Health Care System in Saudi Arabia: An Overview. EMHJ-Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 17, 784-793.
https://doi.org/10.26719/2011.17.10.784
[4]
Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (2018) Fifty Fourth Annual Report. Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, Riyadh.
[5]
WHO (World Health Organization) (2020) World Health Report. World Health Organization, Geneva.
[6]
Al-Hanawi, M.K. (2017) The Healthcare System in Saudi Arabia: How Can We Best Move Forward with Funding to Protect Equitable and Accessible Care for All. International Journal of Healthcare, 3, 78-94. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijh.v3n2p78
[7]
Al-Hanawi, M.K., Alsharqi, O., Almazrou, S. and Vaidya, K. (2018) Healthcare Finance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study of Householders’ Attitudes. Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, 16, 55-64.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40258-017-0353-7
[8]
Al-Hanawi, M.K., Vaidya, K., Alsharqi, O. and Onwujekwe, O. (2018) Investigating the Willingness to Pay for a Contributory National Health Insurance Scheme in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Stated Preference Approach. Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, 16, 259-271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40258-017-0366-2
[9]
Alharthi, H. (2018) Healthcare Predictive Analytics: An Overview with a Focus on Saudi Arabia. Journal of Infection and Public Health, 11, 749-756.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2018.02.005
[10]
Alatawi, A.D., Niessen, L.W. and Khan, J.A. (2020) Efficiency Evaluation of Public Hospitals in Saudi Arabia: An Application of Data Envelopment Analysis. BMJ Open, 10, Article ID: e031924. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031924
[11]
Fadlallah, R., Bou-Karroum, L., El-Jardali, F., Hishi, L., Al-Akkawi, A., Tsolakian, I.G. et al. (2019) Quality, Safety and Performance Management in Primary Health Care: From Scoping Review to Research Priority Setting and Implementation Plan in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. BMJ Global Health, 4, Article ID: e001477.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001477
[12]
Moshashai, D., Leber, A.M. and Savage, J.D. (2020) Saudi Arabia Plans for Its Economic Future: Vision 2030, the National Transformation Plan and Saudi fiscal Reform. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 47, 381-401.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2018.1500269
[13]
Vision 2030 (2019) Saudi Vision 2030. Vol. 2019, KSA, Saudi Arabia, 39.
[14]
Khan, M.K. (2018) Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia: Vision 2030. Taylor & Francis Group, Abingdon.
[15]
Al-Nozha, M.M., Abdullah, M., Arafah, M.R., Khalil, M.Z., Khan, N.B., Al-Mazrou, Y.Y., et al. (2007) Hypertension in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal, 28, 77-84.
[16]
Mosca, I. (2012) Evaluating Reforms in the Netherlands’ Competitive Health Insurance System. Eurohealth, 18, 7-10.
[17]
Almalki, A. and Al-Hanawi, M.K. (2018) Public Private Partnerships and Collaboration in the Health Sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study. Global Journal of Health Science, 10, 10-20. https://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v10n6p10
[18]
Bronfman, J. (2011) Health Insurance Choice, Moral Hazard and Adverse Selection: A Study of the Chilean Case Using Panel Data. The Public Purpose, 1, 12.
[19]
Al-Hanawi, M.K., Khan, S.A. and Al-Borie, H.M. (2019) Healthcare Human Resource Development in Saudi Arabia: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities—A Critical Review. Public Health Reviews, 40, Article No. 1.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40985-019-0112-4
[20]
Grand, S. and Wolff, K. (2020) Assessing Saudi Vision 2030: A 2020 Review. Atlantic Council, Washington DC, 1-80.
[21]
Portela, M.C., Pronovost, P.J., Woodcock, T., Carter, P. and Dixon-Woods, M. (2015) How to Study Improvement Interventions: A Brief Overview of Possible Study Types. BMJ Quality & Safety, 24, 325-336. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2014-003620
[22]
Smith, P.C. (2012) What Is the Scope for Health System Efficiency Gains and How Can They Be Achieved? Eurohealth, 18, 3-7.
[23]
World Health Organization (2018) Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Country Profiles. WHO Press, Geneva.
[24]
McKinsey Global Institute (2015) Moving Saudi Arabia’s Economy beyond Oil. McKinsey Global Institute, Amstelveen.
McKinsey Global Institute (2015) Saudi Arabia beyond Oil: The Investment and Productivity Transformation.
https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Featured%20Insights/Employment%20and%20Growth/Moving%20Saudi%20Arabias%20economy%20beyond%20oil/MGI%20Saudi%20Arabia_Executive%20summary_December%202015.pdf
[27]
Al-Asfour, A. and Khan, S.A. (2014) Workforce Localization in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Issues and Challenges. Human Resource Development International, 17, 243-253. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2013.836783
