HEALTHCARE

SAUDI’S TELEMEDICINE EXPANDS IN FACE OF COVID-19

The Saudi Health Council has adopted a number of decisions recently to strengthen and streamline the kingdom’s healthcare sector.

The kingdom’s promising Seha e-healthcare application will now be accredited as a unified platform that will enable the health sector and other relevant bodies to share medical reports.

The National Health Information Center has been tasked with co-ordinating the health sectors and streamline the process.

The Ministry of Health has also been carrying out free-of-charge vaccinations against the coronavirus for all citizens and residents through the Sehhaty app. The service is available throughout the country.

Last year, the council launched an interactive coronavirus dashboard that monitors the number of infections in the kingdom. It also includes an artificial intelligence virtual assistant, BashairBot, which is available round the clock to answer questions, in Arabic and English, about COVID-19.

The government has earmarked SAR 47 billion for the Ministry of Health in its fight against the pandemic, which has allowed it to bring down cases.

The Saudi authorities also secured free treatment to COVID-19 patients in addition to conducting large-scale random population testing for rapid detection of cases and launching a COVID-19 test results online application.

Latest available data from Our World In Data shows that the kingdom has managed to reduce positive COVID-19 cases from nearly 5,000 at its peak last June to around 1,000 by April.

“As per efforts to improve the healthcare system and increase hospital capacity, mobile field hospitals have been put in place with 100-bed capacity each in addition to preparing other 25 hospitals to receive confirmed COVID-19 cases and providing 80,000 hospital beds, 8,000 ICU beds and 2,200 isolation beds to the kingdom's healthcare sector, besides enhancing border control measures for coronavirus,” according to the Saudi Press Agency. 

“The ministry has also established fixed and mobile testing units in which an appointment can be booked through Sehhaty App with the aim of reaching out to areas which are crowded with citizens and residents regardless of their legal status.”

 

HARNESSING AI

While the government is keen to address the short-term challenges, it is also paying close attention to ensuring the long-term efficiency of the sector, especially in the area of tele-health.

In February, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and the Netherlands based Philips NV signed a memorandum of understanding to boost the deployment of artificial intelligence technologies in the kingdom’s healthcare sector.

The two parties will create an AI ecosystem that incorporates education, science and technology, which taps Philips AI with in-depth knowledge of clinical and operational context to develop integrated solutions that improve the performance and productivity of healthcare systems. 

“The collaboration, which includes a scientific exchange programme and investment in local training, aims to empower Saudi Arabia’s data 

scientists and healthcare professionals with the latest health technologies, enabling them to pass on the benefits of AI in healthcare to the kingdom’s citizens, making Saudi Arabia one of the world’s most technologically advanced countries,” a joint press release noted.

Philips will help create an AI Knowledge Hub that will nurture the local talent pool and expertise to develop local AI applications. The technology company will also make its key opinion leaders available to facilitate knowledge exchange, collaborative research, and support for certification of new AI applications.

SDAIA also signed a memorandum of joint co-operation with IQVIA Holdings Inc. in May. The agreement with the US-based company involves developing joint ideas and research in the field of data and artificial intelligence, building a centre for innovation and knowledge, and developing training programmes to promote use of data and artificial intelligence in the kingdom’s health system.

The SDAIA is also hoping that nurturing the AI health ecosystem will enable new business opportunities around AI in healthcare, which will drive a robust start-up culture.

The Saudi tele-health market is expected to reach USD 415.4 million by 2025 from USD 113.3 million in 2019, registering a growth of 24.2% annually, according to Frost & Sullivan research firm. 

Tele-health has become increasingly popular as social distancing created an unanticipated demand for digital consultations and made it an important technology to evaluate, manage and track patients without in-person examinations, the research house said.

“Further, the rising demand for consumer-centric services and tools in the healthcare system and increasing participation of the private sector through various public-private partnership (PPP) models are leading the countries’ tele-health sectors toward maturity at a rapid pace,” said Surbhi Gupta, healthcare industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “Large healthcare organisations are partnering with retail, healthcare IT, ICT, medtech and insurance companies.”