![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/khan_quote.png\"\/)
Dr. Mansoor Khan,\u00a0Persivia CEO<\/p>\n
\n\tALKHOBAR: As Vision 2030 accelerates Saudi Arabia\u2019s health transformation, experts say success will depend on blending investment, innovation and patient-centered care.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Kingdom\u2019s healthcare sector is at a crossroads. Rising rates of chronic disease, surging patient numbers, and a shortage of medical professionals are straining capacity.<\/p>\n
\n\tBillions of riyals are being poured into new hospitals and clinics, but leaders say bricks and mortar alone will not be enough.<\/p>\n
Dr. Mansoor Khan,\u00a0Persivia CEO<\/p>\n
\n\tArtificial intelligence is increasingly seen as the lever that could ease the burden. Yet experts caution the technology is no silver bullet. Its success depends on how it is deployed.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cFragmentation of care, resource shortages, and rising costs driven by chronic diseases remain the Kingdom\u2019s biggest challenges,\u201d said Dr. Mansoor Khan, CEO of Persivia, a US-based healthcare AI company that partners with Saudi Arabia providers.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tNo country has deployed AI at large scale in healthcare yet. Saudi Arabia has the human and financial capital to lead on the global stage.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tDr. Mansoor Khan, Persivia CEO<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cAI is not one thing \u2014 it\u2019s a set of technologies that need to be used carefully, mapped to specific problems and workflows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tFrom the market side, Dr. Gireesh Kumar, associate partner for healthcare advisory at Knight Frank, a global property consultancy with active presence in Riyadh, points to looming capacity gaps.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/kumar_quote.png\"\/)
Dr. Gireesh Kumar, Knight Frank associate partner\u00a0for healthcare advisory<\/p>\n
\n\tAccording to a Knight Frank analysis published in August this year, Riyadh alone will need 4,500 new hospital beds within five years \u2014 a SR7 billion ($1.86 billion) investment, 60 percent of it funded by the private sector.<\/p>\n
\n\tBy 2040, the shortfall could climb to 15,300 beds based on global benchmarks.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tThe strongest use cases for AI are in hospitals. Image recognition, predictive analytics, and workflow automation can help reduce bottlenecks and balance demand across networks.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tDr. Gireesh Kumar, Knight Frank associate partner for healthcare advisory<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe strongest use cases for AI are in hospitals,\u201d Kumar said. \u201cImage recognition, predictive analytics, and workflow automation can help reduce bottlenecks and balance demand across networks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tBoth experts agree predictive AI offers the clearest near-term value. By analyzing patient data, it can identify high-risk individuals and enable early intervention.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/4550694-1948189447_2.jpg\"\/)
Vision 2030 is accelerating the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care. (Supplied)<\/p>\n
\n\tGlobally, organizations adopting predictive tools report up to a 25 percent reduction in operating costs and a 15 to 20 percent decrease in readmissions.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn the US, some networks have cut readmissions by 14.3 percent after deploying AI-driven outpatient management. For Saudi Arabia, where diabetes and cardiovascular conditions dominate, the gains could be transformative.<\/p>\n
\n\tStill, Khan stressed nuance: \u201cIf you are going to risk-stratify a population, that is not a task for generative AI, but for predictive and prescriptive AI. Success equals empathy plus evidence plus workflow fit.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/4594006-843552629_2.jpg\"\/)
For Saudi Arabia, where diabetes and cardiovascular conditions dominate, the gains could be transformative. (Supplied)<\/p>\n
\n\tTelemedicine is another growth engine. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kingdom\u2019s SEHA Virtual Hospital emerged as a flagship. Today it is the world\u2019s largest virtual hospital, linking more than 150 facilities and serving over 480,000 patients a year.<\/p>\n
\n\tOn the private side, the Saudi Arabia-built Labayh mental health app has reached more than 2 million users with over 70 million minutes of counselling delivered, making it one of the region\u2019s prominent digital health platforms according to Knight Frank\u2019s report.<\/p>\n
\n\tKumar said digital access points ease pressure on hospitals and extend services into underserved regions. Khan added a caveat: \u201cThe human interaction is critical. AI should support that, not replace it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tVision 2030 is accelerating the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care. That transition, Khan argues, requires deep private-sector involvement \u2014 from funding to management.<\/p>\n
\n\tKumar frames public-private partnerships as the catalyst for AI adoption.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe public sector brings infrastructure and regulation, the private sector brings agility and global expertise. Together, they can fast-track AI solutions across diagnostics, telemedicine and workforce training.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tGartner research titled \u201cAI in Value-Based Care\u201d published in June this year, reinforces this point, calling AI the critical enabling technology for advanced value-based care.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe global market for value-based healthcare is projected to soar from $12.2 billion in 2023 to $43.4 billion by 2031, with AI driving much of that growth.<\/p>\n
\n\tKumar points to lessons abroad: Singapore\u2019s academic pathways that integrate AI with clinical training, China\u2019s use of AI in chest X-rays, and the UK\u2019s adoption of AI dermatology tools.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Kingdom, meanwhile, is already testing bold ideas such as the world\u2019s first AI-powered doctor clinic in Al-Ahsa, where a digital doctor named Dr. Hua collects symptoms, analyses data, and proposes treatments under physician oversight.<\/p>\n
\n\tFor Khan, this pioneering spirit is the opportunity. \u201cNo country has deployed AI at large scale in healthcare yet. Saudi Arabia has the human and financial capital to lead on the global stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tRegarding risks, Kumar notes that the Saudi Data and AI Authority established a framework in 2024 to safeguard patient privacy and ethics.<\/p>\n
\n\tKhan insists adoption must be co-designed with clinicians and patients, starting with narrow, high-value use cases. \u201cAI should enhance, not overwhelm, the human experience,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n\tGartner warns that AI models must be continuously monitored for bias and aligned with workflows to avoid clinician fatigue.<\/p>\n
\n\tBy 2030, Saudi Arabia\u2019s healthcare system is projected to look very different.<\/p>\n
\n\tAI will underpin a shift from reactive treatment to preventative care, empowering clinicians with predictive insights, automating routine tasks, and expanding access through digital platforms.<\/p>\n
\n\tYet for all the investment and innovation, the final measure will not be model accuracy but human lives improved, as Khan put it earlier.<\/p>\n
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