JEDDAH, 10 September 2003 — Foreign investors can establish hospitals and clinics in the Kingdom’s remote areas, Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie has said, denying reports that the health sector had been kept off-limits to foreign investment.
“The ministry has no objection to any foreigner owning a health institution in the country,” Al-Manie told Al-Riyadh Arabic newspaper. But he insisted that such foreign investments should be in areas designated by the ministry, where specialized health services are required.
Foreign investors must obtain a license from the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA). “The licensed professional must be the owner of the institution and its full-time manager,” Al-Manie said.
The private health institutions should have easy access, adequate parking facilities and other services apart from safety arrangements. The Health Ministry has also set out license fees ranging between SR1,000 and SR15,000 to open private hospitals and clinics.
The license period for every private health institution will be five years, the ministry said.
The license could be renewed after making sure that the institution fulfilled all the necessary conditions and requirements.
The license fees for a hospital with 50 beds or less is SR5,000, and for 51 to 100 beds SR10,000. Hospitals with more than 100 beds must pay SR15,000.
The fee for a general private medical center is SR2,000, for a specialized medical center SR2,000, for a clinic SR1,000, for an X-ray unit SR1,000, for a medical laboratory SR2,000, for a surgical center SR2,000, for a support health service center SR1,000, and for an ambulance service center SR1,000.
