Healthcare human resource development in Saudi Arabia: emerging challenges and opportunities-a critical review - PubMed
- ️Tue Jan 01 2019
Review
Healthcare human resource development in Saudi Arabia: emerging challenges and opportunities-a critical review
Mohammed Khaled Al-Hanawi et al. Public Health Rev. 2019.
Abstract
Background: Saudi Arabia is currently passing through a transformational phase. There is a huge demand on the Saudi healthcare system to provide better healthcare facilities to the rapidly increasing Saudi population, as well as the growing elderly population. Lack of trained healthcare professionals and heavy reliance on foreign workers are significant aspects for policymakers to consider and deal with. It is also important to re-examine the healthcare Human Resource Development (HRD) initiatives so as to provide a huge reserve of healthcare professionals with appropriate learning and competence.
Method: This paper is a critical review based on secondary data collected from various sources including databases, reports, articles, books, government documents and earlier research undertaken in this regard. The paper is an attempt to document and evaluate the various steps suggested and undertaken by the new strategic plan, Vision 2030, and consequently documented in the National Transformation Program (NTP) adopted in April 2016 in the healthcare HRD sphere in Saudi Arabia.
Results: It has been shown that appropriate HRD capacity building needs to be adopted along with the aggressive policy regulation. It is also important to ensure that future health sector investment meets the needs of local healthcare HRD. Saudization and the adoption of the 'Nitaqat' program have played an effective role in pushing the Saudization targets in the private sector, and there is a huge scope for the absorption of young trained Saudi boys and girls in the healthcare sector.
Conclusion: Vision 2030 adopted in 2016 is a testimony to a revolutionary step undertaken by the government and that the healthcare sector is also passing through a major shift in its approach and execution. Vision 2030 has come out with a very clear sense of direction to the healthcare sector, and the projected shift from the existing one-third to two-third Saudi-to-foreigner workforce ratio by the year 2030 needs to be adopted carefully to turn the healthcare HRD challenges into opportunities.
Keywords: Healthcare HRD; NTP 2020; Saudization; Transformation; Vision 2030.
Conflict of interest statement
Not applicableNot applicableThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Similar articles
-
Healthcare Transformation in Saudi Arabia: An Overview Since the Launch of Vision 2030.
Alasiri AA, Mohammed V. Alasiri AA, et al. Health Serv Insights. 2022 Sep 3;15:11786329221121214. doi: 10.1177/11786329221121214. eCollection 2022. Health Serv Insights. 2022. PMID: 36081830 Free PMC article.
-
Healthcare Human Resources: Trends and Demand in Saudi Arabia.
Alnowibet K, Abduljabbar A, Ahmad S, Alqasem L, Alrajeh N, Guiso L, Zaindin M, Varanasi M. Alnowibet K, et al. Healthcare (Basel). 2021 Jul 29;9(8):955. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9080955. Healthcare (Basel). 2021. PMID: 34442091 Free PMC article.
-
Alonazi WB. Alonazi WB. BMC Public Health. 2017 Jun 12;17(1):571. doi: 10.1186/s12889-017-4489-z. BMC Public Health. 2017. PMID: 28606138 Free PMC article.
-
The Saudi Arabian 2030 vision and the nursing profession: the way forward.
Al-Dossary RN. Al-Dossary RN. Int Nurs Rev. 2018 Dec;65(4):484-490. doi: 10.1111/inr.12458. Epub 2018 Jul 7. Int Nurs Rev. 2018. PMID: 29981166 Review.
-
Building the health workforce: Saudi Arabia's challenges in achieving Vision 2030.
Albejaidi F, Nair KS. Albejaidi F, et al. Int J Health Plann Manage. 2019 Oct;34(4):e1405-e1416. doi: 10.1002/hpm.2861. Epub 2019 Aug 12. Int J Health Plann Manage. 2019. PMID: 31402508 Review.
Cited by
-
Kattan W, Alshareef N. Kattan W, et al. BMC Health Serv Res. 2024 Aug 8;24(1):911. doi: 10.1186/s12913-024-11391-4. BMC Health Serv Res. 2024. PMID: 39113012 Free PMC article.
-
Al-Surimi K, Al Omar M, Alahmary K, Salam M. Al-Surimi K, et al. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2020 Oct 2;13:1905-1914. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S265127. eCollection 2020. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2020. PMID: 33061722 Free PMC article.
-
Arafa A, Mohammed Z, Mahmoud O, Elshazley M, Ewis A. Arafa A, et al. J Affect Disord. 2021 Jan 1;278:365-371. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.09.080. Epub 2020 Sep 24. J Affect Disord. 2021. PMID: 33007626 Free PMC article.
-
Al-Ahmadi HH. Al-Ahmadi HH. Front Public Health. 2022 Aug 18;10:900075. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.900075. eCollection 2022. Front Public Health. 2022. PMID: 36062119 Free PMC article.
-
Alkhamees M, Lea J, Islam MS, Alasqah I, Alzghaibi H, Alharbi MF, Albejaidi F, Mughal YH, Parker V. Alkhamees M, et al. Healthcare (Basel). 2022 Dec 30;11(1):118. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11010118. Healthcare (Basel). 2022. PMID: 36611579 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Ministry of Health. Annual statistical book. Riyadh: Ministry of Health; 2017. [cited 2018 Sep 27]. Available from: https://www.moh.gov.sa/en/Ministry/Statistics/book/Documents/ANNUAL-STAT....
-
- Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority. Fifty fourth annual report. Riyadh: Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority; 2018. [cited 2018 Sep 3]. Available from: http://www.sama.gov.sa/en-US/EconomicReports/AnnualReport/Fifty%20Fourth....
-
- World Health Organization. The World Health Report 2000: health systems: improving performance. Geneva: World Health Organization 2000.
-
- Al-Hanawi MK. The healthcare system in Saudi Arabia: how can we best move forward with funding to protect equitable and accessible care for all? Int J Healthcare. 2017;3(2):78–94. doi: 10.5430/ijh.v3n2p78. - DOI
Publication types
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous