Page 42 - U4SSC Factsheet, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 2020

Health

Category KPI Result Performance to Benchmark SDG

Electronic Health 0.00 %
Records

Life Expectancy 74.00 yrs

Maternal Mortality
Rate (per 100 000 9.78
live births)
Physicians
(per 100 000 187.36
inhabitants)

In-Patient Hospital
Beds (per 100 000 185.21
inhabitants)
Health insurance
/ Public Health 100.00 %
Coverage

This set of KPIs signifies mixed results for Riyadh. Life expectancy in the city is higher than the global
average of 72 years (2016) and in line with the national average of 74.56 (2016). Saudi Arabia
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has a national healthcare system in which the government provides healthcare services through
various government agencies and with participation from the private sector. All residents are eligible
for health insurance or benefits that include most preventive, diagnostic, and curative services and
pharmaceuticals (with few exclusions) and no cost sharing.

While Riyadh has reported a lower value for maternal mortality rate than the national average of 12
deaths per 100 000 live births (2015), its rate still requires further examination. Maternal mortality
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as a health indicator tends to show wide gaps between the rich and the poor, and in between urban
and rural areas. In general, most maternal deaths occur in low-resource settings, and are often found
to be preventable.

Optimizing smart, effective healthcare: It is recommended, therefore, that Riyadh further examines
its maternal mortality rate to define the distribution, frequency and determining factors involved. The
factors should include (but not be limited to): diagnosed cause(s); ease of access, to and affordability
of, medical care; geographic zone; maternal age; ethnic or other socio-economic background.
Administrative data should be combined with qualitative surveys to gather the information necessary
to inform policies that will help lower this rate in the future.

Instituting electronic health records (EHR) for Riyadh’s residents is another recommendation. Saudi
Arabia is taking steps in this regard as part of its Vision 2030 strategy, which will likely see the

36 U4SSC Factsheet | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | June 2020