Built to last: How Saudi Arabia Is constructing a healthcare system for the ages

Founding Day marks the anniversary of the unification of the Arabian Peninsula under King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud in 1727. It is a moment for national reflection — and in 2026, there is much to reflect on.

Across the healthcare sector, the past twelve months have delivered a remarkable concentration of advances: world-first surgical procedures, national AI deployments, international partnerships anchored by local capability-building, and the emergence of an integrated, data-driven care ecosystem that is increasingly recognised as a model for the wider region.

This is not a story of procurement. It is a story of construction — of a nation deliberately building the institutions, skills, infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks that will define its healthcare system for generations. Vision 2030 provides the blueprint, but it is the clinicians, engineers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers working within Saudi Arabia’s hospitals, research centres, and startups who are laying the bricks.

Robotics: Saudi Arabia earns its place in the global record books

If there is a single institution that epitomises the ambition and achievement of Saudi healthcare in 2025-2026, it is King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) in Riyadh. Over the past year, KFSHRC has accumulated a series of world firsts that would be remarkable for any institution, anywhere in the world.

The hospital performed the world’s first robotic-assisted implantation of two artificial pumps for biventricular support (BiVAD-HMIII) — a breakthrough in the treatment of bilateral heart failure that has traditionally required full sternotomy with its associated risks and prolonged recovery. Led by Prof. Feras Khaliel, the cardiac surgery team completed the operation through small incisions using remotely controlled robotic arms, achieving reduced blood loss, lower infection risk, and faster patient recovery. The 61-year-old patient, who had spent more than two months bedridden from end-stage heart failure, was on the road to recovery within a short period following surgery.

This milestone extended a track record that already includes the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant and the world’s first robotic-assisted artificial heart pump implantation. In the field of transplantation, KFSHRC’s Organ Transplant Centre has performed 841 adult and 470 paediatric robotic-assisted liver donor procedures between 2018 and 2025, establishing it as one of the most experienced centres globally.

Prof. Dieter C. Broering, Executive Director of the Organ Transplant Centre, has noted that while robotic systems have advanced considerably, the next frontier — integrating augmented reality overlays and real-time AI-driven tissue differentiation — is already within sight.

What makes these achievements particularly significant for Founding Day is their geography. These procedures are happening in Riyadh, performed by Saudi-led multidisciplinary teams, and increasingly published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at global conferences.

AI at scale: from pilot projects to national infrastructure

Artificial intelligence in Saudi healthcare has moved decisively beyond the pilot phase. Across 2025 and into 2026, AI has been deployed at the national level — embedded in government health platforms, hospital workflows, clinical decision-making tools, and insurance systems.

The Ministry of Health’s partnership with Lean Business Services to deploy Google Cloud’s generative AI across the national Sehhaty application is perhaps the most visible example. The integration of Gemini-powered multimodal capabilities into Sehhaty’s chatbot interface — enabling live voice and video health guidance for citizens — represents a new benchmark for AI deployment in public healthcare. Crucially, it operates fully within Saudi Arabia’s data residency framework and Class C licence compliance, ensuring national sovereignty over health data is preserved.

RapidAI’s partnership with Saudi Health Holding Company (HHC), the largest healthcare provider in the Middle East, brings clinical AI across neurology, cardiology, vascular, oncology, and orthopaedics to HHC’s network of 20 hospital and clinic clusters. The Rapid Enterprise Platform integrates imaging, reports, and structured clinical data to enable faster, data-driven clinical decision-making — and its deployment is supported by Ascend Solutions, a local digital solutions provider, reflecting the growing maturity of Saudi Arabia’s domestic technology ecosystem.

At KFSHRC, a smart brain implant — the first of its kind in the Middle East — is now being used to manage chronic neurological disorders including Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. The device’s built-in AI analyses brain signals in real time, detecting abnormal electrical patterns and delivering targeted stimulation to restore neural balance. Patients are able to reduce medication doses by as much as 50%, reducing side effects and improving daily function.

Meanwhile, Korean AI company Lunit has partnered with Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group to deploy its AI-powered chest X-ray analysis solution across the Kingdom, targeting the detection of lung cancer, tuberculosis, and pneumonia across approximately one million chest X-ray images over three years.

And Alibaba DAMO Academy has entered a collaboration with Abdul Latif Jameel Health to explore AI-assisted diagnostics for a broad range of conditions including pancreatic, gastric, and oesophageal cancers.

Precision medicine: Treating the person, not just the disease

Saudi Arabia’s pivot towards precision and preventive medicine — treating individuals based on their unique biological profiles rather than population-level averages — has accelerated meaningfully over the past year.

The collaboration between Palo Alto-based PGxAI and Saudi Arabia’s Novo Genomics represents a significant step in making pharmacogenomics-based prescribing a clinical reality in the Kingdom. By combining AI-supported genetic analysis with in-country sample processing and clinician-ready reporting, the partnership aims to reduce adverse drug reactions, improve medication safety, and support the development of Saudi-specific genomic insights. Participation is consent-based, and the initiative includes educational programmes for patients, clinicians, and families — building the health literacy that precision medicine requires.

In reproductive medicine, the inaugural Saudi Conference on Gynecology and Fertility (GFS) held in Jeddah in January 2026 placed AI at the centre of its programme. Experts described the concept of ‘Embryology 4.0’ — the integration of machine learning and data-driven assessment into embryo selection and laboratory standards — as a transformative advance that enhances precision and improves patient success rates. The conference also highlighted emerging research on stem cell therapies for infertility and premature ovarian insufficiency, reinforcing the Kingdom’s growing role as a regional hub for medical innovation in women’s health.

M42, a global health leader powered by AI, technology, and genomics, formally incorporated M42 Saudi Arabia at the Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh, signalling the expansion of its renal care operations — delivered through more than 40 Diaverum clinics across 33 Saudi cities — into precision preventive care, multi-omics, and population health programmes. The company’s stated ambition is to support Saudi Arabia’s shift from reactive care to precision, prevention, and prediction.

3D printing and advanced manufacturing: clinical innovation from the inside out

Advanced manufacturing has arrived in Saudi clinical practice in ways that are saving limbs, restoring balance, and rewriting what is possible in complex surgery.

KFSHRC’s Department of Otolaryngology developed a novel technique to treat a rare inner ear disorder by reconstructing the structure responsible for the body’s balance using ultra-micro 3D printing. The technique digitally redesigns the damaged portion of the inner ear outside the body, then produces a thin silicone implant through three-dimensional micro-printing that matches the original anatomical structure precisely.

In its first clinical application, it completely restored balance in a patient who had endured more than two years of severe vertigo — without damaging surrounding tissues or disturbing the inner ear’s fluid dynamics. This represents a major advance over traditional methods that typically destroy the affected portion of the ear to relieve symptoms.

In orthopaedic oncology, KFSHRC surgeons used patient-specific 3D-printed cutting guides to perform a limb-preserving procedure on a patient with a tumour affecting the upper femur and hip joint — a location typically associated with high complication rates and frequent amputation. The guides matched the bone’s contours precisely, enabling accurate removal of the tumour without damaging the hip joint. A custom-fitted prosthetic hip was implanted in the same operation, and the patient was walking within hours of surgery.

These cases illustrate a broader principle at work in Saudi healthcare: the willingness to integrate advanced technology not as a showpiece, but as a practical tool in the hands of clinicians solving complex, individual patient problems.

Connected care: building the integrated ecosystem

Perhaps the most strategically significant trend of the past year is the emergence of genuinely integrated healthcare ecosystems — models that connect virtual consultations, home care, workplace clinics, physical facilities, insurance systems, and electronic health records into a single, coherent patient experience.

Bupa CareConnect, the healthcare delivery arm of Bupa Arabia, has become the most visible embodiment of this vision. Its model integrates 24/7 digital clinics providing more than 400,000 consultations annually, home-based laboratory services and medication delivery, 15 workplace clinics in partnership with organisations including the Public Investment Fund, SABIC, and the King Abdullah Financial District, and a new flagship physical clinic in Riyadh built around a preventive care model. The company’s ‘No Pre-Approvals’ initiative — allowing beneficiaries to access outpatient services including laboratory tests, radiology, and prescriptions without prior authorisation — has been expanded to more than 17 hospitals, and is the first of its kind in the Saudi health insurance market.

InterSystems’ TrakCare platform is being deployed across Bupa CareConnect’s operations as its core clinical and administrative backbone, unifying virtual and physical care pathways and providing AI-ready analytics for operational planning and preventive care. The Siemens Healthineers SHIFT Innovation Center, opened in Riyadh in partnership with the Ministry of Health, joins a global network that includes Erlangen, Bangalore, Shanghai, Istanbul, and Madrid — bringing a co-creation hub for government bodies, universities, hospitals, and startups to Riyadh.

KFSHRC’s digital health expansion tells a similar story. The hospital delivered 293,381 virtual consultations in 2024 — a 58% year-on-year increase and an average of more than 800 virtual visits every day. It also launched a virtual pharmacy consultation service, allowing patients to connect with pharmacists for medication guidance without visiting the hospital. For many patients in remote areas, or those living with chronic conditions, these services have eliminated repeated hospital journeys and the financial and logistical burdens that come with them.

International investment, local roots

Saudi Arabia’s success in attracting international healthcare investment over the past year reflects not just the scale of the opportunity, but the maturity of the conditions the Kingdom has created. The deals being done are not purely transactional — they are partnerships built around capability transfer, local talent development, and long-term commitment to the Saudi market.

King’s College Hospital London opened its first facility in Jeddah, becoming the first British-branded hospital to operate in Saudi Arabia. The hospital brings 180 years of British medical heritage to the Kingdom, with a clinical programme spanning cardiology, orthopaedics, oncology, women’s health, paediatrics, and general surgery. It is designed to function as both a clinical facility and a training hub, with British and Saudi professionals working alongside each other.

QuantumNexis and Golden Code Holdings have launched a joint venture to deliver digital health platforms in Saudi Arabia, with plans to introduce Ezovion, Ziloy.ai, and Readabl.ai to the market alongside interoperability solutions based on openEHR standards. The venture explicitly includes workforce development, capability-building for Saudi professionals, and the establishment of a regional base for innovation and co-development.

The Siemens Healthineers SHIFT Innovation Center and the RapidAI-HHC partnership both include structured programmes for building local skills and technical capacity. The Clinical Research Transformation: Future Outlook 2026 conference, organised by KFSHRC with leaders from North America and Europe, demonstrates Saudi Arabia’s growing integration into global clinical research networks. And KFSHRC’s announced participation in the C3 Davos of Healthcare Japan Summit — with its CEO delivering a keynote on Saudi Arabia’s integrated healthcare strategy — signals the Kingdom’s confidence in presenting its model to the world.

Governance and data sovereignty: the foundation beneath the innovation

Innovation at scale requires trust at scale. Saudi Arabia has spent the past year building the regulatory and governance infrastructure that makes trustworthy digital health possible.

The Saudi Personal Data Protection Law and its Implementing Regulation establishes comprehensive requirements for health data privacy, system segregation, and breach notification. Healthcare providers are required to collect only necessary data, maintain robust access controls, notify authorities within 72 hours of a breach, and appoint data protection officers. Non-compliance carries significant consequences, including imprisonment for intentional disclosure of sensitive health data.

The National Platform for Health and Insurance Exchange Services (NPHIES), developed by the Cooperative Health Insurance Council and the National Center for Health Information, provides the digital backbone for insurance interoperability. InterSystems’ achievement of NPHIES compliance for TrakCare, and Google Cloud’s operation fully within the Kingdom’s data residency framework for the Sehhaty deployment, demonstrate that international technology providers are operating within Saudi Arabia’s governance framework — not around it.

This combination of strong data sovereignty, clear regulatory expectations, and a growing domestic capability to enforce and evolve those frameworks gives Saudi Arabia’s digital health ecosystem a durability that purely technology-led transformations often lack.

A foundation, not a ceiling

Founding Day invites Saudi Arabia to look both back and forward simultaneously — to draw strength from the foundations laid by history while orienting towards the horizon of what is being built. In healthcare, the past twelve months have demonstrated that the Kingdom is building something genuinely enduring.

The robotics achievements at KFSHRC are not anomalies; they are the product of sustained institutional investment in talent, technology, and multidisciplinary collaboration. The AI deployments in Sehhaty, in HHC’s hospital network, in Bupa CareConnect’s insurance platform are not experiments; they are operational infrastructure. The precision medicine partnerships, the integrated care models, the international collaborations grounded in local capability-building — all of these reflect a consistent and coherent national strategy being executed with increasing sophistication.

Vision 2030’s healthcare goals are ambitious: to build a knowledge-based, innovation-led health system that delivers value-based care, extends healthy life expectancy, and positions Saudi Arabia as a regional hub for medical excellence. On Founding Day 2026, it is possible to say with confidence that the trajectory is set, the foundations are deep, and the building is well underway.