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Healthcare Finance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study of Householders’ Attitudes

Author

Listed:
  • Mohammed Khaled Al-Hanawi

    (King Abdulaziz University
    Aston University)

  • Omar Alsharqi

    (King Abdulaziz University)

  • Saja Almazrou

    (King Saud University)

  • Kirit Vaidya

    (Aston University)

Abstract

Background The public sector healthcare system in Saudi Arabia, essentially financed by oil revenues and ‘free at the point of delivery’, is coming under increasing strain due to escalating expenditure and an increasingly volatile oil market and is likely to be unsustainable in the medium to long term. Objectives This study examines how satisfied the Saudi people are with their public sector healthcare services and assesses their willingness to contribute to financing the system through a national health insurance scheme. The study also examines public preferences and expectations of a future national health insurance system. Methods A total of 36 heads of households participated in face-to-face audio-recorded semi-structured interviews. The participants were purposefully selected based on different socio-economic and socio-demographic factors from urban and rural areas to represent the geographical diversity that would presumably influence individual views, expectations, preferences and healthcare experiences. Results The evidence showed some dissatisfaction with the provision and quality of current public sector healthcare services, including the availability of appointments, waiting times and the availability of drugs. The households indicated a willingness to contribute to a national insurance scheme, conditional upon improvements in the quality of public sector healthcare services. The results also revealed a variety of preferences and expectations regarding the proposed national health insurance scheme. Conclusions Quality improvement is a key factor that could motivate the Saudi people to contribute to financing the healthcare system. A new authority, consisting of a partnership between the public and private sectors under government supervision, could represent an acceptable option for addressing the variation in public preferences.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohammed Khaled Al-Hanawi & Omar Alsharqi & Saja Almazrou & Kirit Vaidya, 2018. "Healthcare Finance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study of Householders’ Attitudes," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 55-64, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:aphecp:v:16:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s40258-017-0353-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s40258-017-0353-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Balabanova, Dina & McKee, Martin, 2004. "Reforming health care financing in Bulgaria: the population perspective," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(4), pages 753-765, February.
    2. Pablo Gottret & George Schieber, 2006. "Health Financing Revisited : A Practitioner's Guide," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 7094.
    3. Kutzin, Joseph, 2001. "A descriptive framework for country-level analysis of health care financing arrangements," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(3), pages 171-204, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Al-Hanawi, Mohammed Khaled, 2021. "Decomposition of inequalities in out-of-pocket health expenditure burden in Saudi Arabia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    2. Leena Eklund Karlsson & Anne Leena Ikonen & Kothar Mohammed Alqahtani & Pernille Tanggaard Andersen & Subash Thapa, 2020. "Health Equity Lens Embedded in the Public Health Policies of Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Document Analysis," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, October.
    3. Mohammed Khaled Al-Hanawi & Rubayyat Hashmi & Sarh Almubark & Ameerah M. N. Qattan & Mohammad Habibullah Pulok, 2020. "Socioeconomic Inequalities in Uptake of Breast Cancer Screening among Saudi Women: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of a National Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-13, March.
    4. Amal Almalki & Mohammed Al-Hanawi, 2018. "Public Private Partnerships and Collaboration in the Health Sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study," Global Journal of Health Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(6), pages 1-10, June.
    5. Mohammed Khaled Al-Hanawi & Sarh Almubark & Ameerah M N Qattan & Agnieszka Cenkier & Ewa Agnieszka Kosycarz, 2020. "Barriers to the implementation of public-private partnerships in the healthcare sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(6), pages 1-15, June.

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