Saudi Arabia approves regulations for PPPs in health sector

King Salman approved on Sunday a number of decisions taken by the Saudi Health Council (CHS), including the establishment of a public-private partnership (PPP) program in the health sector.

This will involve developing regulations and national policies for PPPs, as well as defining the strategy under which such models would operate, and monitoring mechanisms to oversee the implementation of PPPs, according to a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The King has also given the go-ahead for the following:

- Issuance of visas for foreign scientists and experts in line with an earlier ruling by the cabinet, in order to benefit from their expertise through scientific research programs.

- Employment of physicians accepted in the Saudi Fellowship Programs.

- Vacancies for doctors below consultant levels will be created by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, based on needs of each sector.

- All health facilities in the Kingdom will be required periodically to report diagnosed cancer cases to the Saudi Cancer Registry, for both cases under treatment and deaths resulting from cancer. This will facilitate the establishment of necessary health policies to deal with cancer cases.

- Medical facilities offering cancer treatments will also need to maintain a database of cancer patients, in order to be accredited.

- The King also approved nominating a member from each sector to a technical committee that will coordinate with the World Health Organization (WHO) on a national health study.