Saudi Healthcare Leader Calls For Global Shift: Treat Health As Investment, Not Expense

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Healthcare must be recognised as the world’s most strategic investment in security, prosperity, and resilience—not as a financial burden.

This was the core message delivered at the C3 Davos of Healthcare Summit in Tokyo, emphasising the urgent need for global systems to reframe healthcare spending as a long-term investment rather than a cost.

Saudi Royal Court Adviser and King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Majid Alfayyadh, delivered this call to action in his keynote address, highlighting how strategic investment in healthcare underpins national strength, economic growth, and crisis preparedness.

Dr Majid emphasised that strong healthcare systems save lives, boost economies, create jobs, and prepare nations for future crises—from pandemics to climate-related emergencies.

In a statement, he also highlighted rising chronic diseases, climate-driven health threats, and COVID-19’s lessons as urgent catalysts for rethinking healthcare funding.

He identified five pillars essential for sustainable healthcare, namely modern hospital infrastructure, digital health and artificial intelligence, precision medicine laboratories, workforce development including data scientists, and resilient pharmaceutical supply chains with local vaccine production.

Reflecting on medical history, Dr Majid noted that breakthroughs—from vaccines to surgery—succeed only with robust delivery systems and organised infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 Health Sector Transformation Program embraces this, with KFSHRC pioneering robotic heart transplants, CAR T-cell therapies, and genomic research as part of the Kingdom’s shift from healthcare as an expense to an innovation engine.

Inviting Japanese and global partners to collaborate on research and technology, Dr Majid positioned Saudi Arabia as a hub for integrated healthcare innovation.

“The future of healthcare will be defined by integration, modernisation, and collaboration. By redefining healthcare as an investment, we are building not only resilient national systems but also a stronger and healthier global community,” concluded Dr Majid.

-- BERNAMA