Mapping the Private Healthcare Sector in Riyadh Region: Size, Services, and Alignment with the Saudi Ministry of Health Priorities

BACKGROUND: Mapping exercises are important to inform development of interventions aiming to enhance private sector's contribution towards achieving health systems objectives. OBJECTIVE: To map size, types, and distribution of private health institutions, and to identify the services they offer, and their alignment with Ministry of Health priorities. METHODS: A cross-sectional study targeted licensed, for-profit private health institutions in Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia. Secondary data were collected from Department of Private Health Institutions in Riyadh and the Ministry of Health Year Statistical Book. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the collected data. RESULTS: Private hospitals increased from 40 (2017) to 46 (2021), with private sector hospital beds rising from 5,426 (2017) to 6,339 (2021). Pharmaceutical institutions comprised 55.4% of private health institutions, followed by polyclinics (23%) and supportive health services centers (17.1%). Laboratories, hospitals, and clinics represented 2%, 1%, and 0.5% of private health institutions respectively. Ambulance and radiology service centers were least available private health institutions at 0.1%. Home healthcare, remote care, telemedicine, family medicine, and long-term care were offered by 1.3%, 0.5%, 0.4%, and 0.1% of private health institutions respectively. Private hospitals accounted for 41.4% of total hospitals and private hospitals beds constituted 30.9% of Riyadh's total, with an average of 137.8 beds per hospital. Around 82% of private health institutions were in Riyadh city, with around 18% in peripheral provinces. CONCLUSION: Private healthcare sector has witnessed substantial growth, primarily influenced by supply rather than demand dynamics. Incentives are essential to promote investment in Ministry of Health priorities.