Saudi Arabia

Healthcare System

Saudi Arabia operates a two-track healthcare system. Saudi nationals receive free comprehensive care through the Ministry of Health (MOH) network of hospitals and primary health centers. Expatriates (~38% of population, ~14 million people) are required to have employer-provided health insurance under the Cooperative Health Insurance scheme regulated by the CCHI (Council of Cooperative Health Insurance). The system is in transition: Vision 2030 healthcare reforms aim to privatize 290 MOH hospitals and expand private sector coverage. Saudi Arabia is a major source of outbound medical tourism for complex cases (oncology, neurosurgery, transplants) to US, DE, and GB — often government-sponsored.

System Type: Federal single-payer (MOH) with mandatory private insurance for expatriates
Regulatory Body: SFDA (Saudi Food and Drug Authority) for drug registration and medical devices. SHC (Saudi Health Council) for clinical coding standards and health policy coordination. CCHI (Council of Cooperative Health Insurance) for private health insurance regulation. SCFHS (Saudi Commission for Health Specialties) for healthcare professional licensing.
Data Protection: Saudi PDPL (Personal Data Protection Law) — Royal Decree M/19, issued July 2021, effective September 2023. Health data classified as sensitive personal data requiring heightened protection. SDAIA (Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority) is the supervisory authority. Cross-border data transfer requires either recipient country having adequate protection or contractual safeguards — similar to GDPR adequacy framework. Mandatory data breach notification within 72 hours.
Currency: SAR
Emergency Number: 997 (ambulance), 911 (general emergency), 999 (civil defense/fire)
Languages: ar, en

Coding Systems

diagnosis

ICD-10 (WHO edition)

Saudi Health Council mandates ICD-10 (WHO base edition) for all healthcare facilities. Arabic translation of ICD-10 available through SHC. Not ICD-10-CM (US) or ICD-10-AM (Australian). NPHIES claims require ICD-10 codes.

procedures

CPT (outpatient) + Saudi-DRG (inpatient)

Outpatient: CPT codes (American Medical Association) widely adopted for CCHI insurance billing, following AE/GCC regional precedent. Inpatient: Saudi-DRG system developed by SHC based on AP-DRG (All Patient DRG, 3M) with Saudi-specific modifications. Introduced nationally from 2017 as part of hospital payment reform under Vision 2030.

dental

FDI (ISO 3950)

Federation Dentaire Internationale two-digit notation standard across all Saudi dental practices, public and private.

drugs

SFDA Drug Registration (National Drug Code)

Saudi Food and Drug Authority maintains the national drug registry. All medications must be SFDA-registered for sale in KSA. SFDA assigns national registration numbers. Arabic and English brand names in registry. Formulary: National Essential Medicines List (NEML) maintained by MOH. Controlled substances: Royal Decree mandates strict controls; DEA Schedule II equivalents require special authorization.

Translation Corridors

SA→US (Saudi government-sponsored medical tourism — complex oncology, transplants, neurosurgery; Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson, Johns Hopkins) SA→DE (government medical tourism; German university hospitals for complex cases) SA→GB (Saudi students and government-sponsored patients; King's College, Royal Marsden) IN→SA (Indian expats sending SA medical records to Indian insurers or family physicians; largest volume corridor) EG→SA (Egyptian expat workers with Egyptian National Insurance records entering Saudi system) PK→SA (Pakistani expat workers — largest single nationality; Pakistani SECP insurance records) PH→SA (Filipino OFW nurses and domestic workers; PhilHealth portability claims)

Ready to translate Saudi Arabia medical documents?

Get Started Free