Vision 2030 detailed the Saudi Arabian government's strategy for the modernisation and diversification of its economy and society. Healthcare was identified as a key priority and Vision 2030 set ambitious goals for the sector's modernisation, privatisation and digitalisation with major financial investments. Indeed digital technologies were rolled out successfully with the catalyst of the covid19 pandemic which allowed the expansion of telemedicine and software applications to deliver health information and medical care remotely.

This year a further major initiative in the health sector transformation and digitalisation program was achieved with the opening of the Seha Virtual Hospital (SVH), the largest virtual hospital in the world and the first in the Middle East.

SVH was opened by the Saudi Ministry of Health in Riyadh by Minister of Health Fahd Al-Jalajel with Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Sawaha. Minister Fahd Al-Jalajel stressed that the hospital would make it easier for the citizens to obtain timely consultations, improving the efficiency and accessibility of healthcare.  It supports 130 hospitals around the Kingdom and provides more than 30 specialized services with the capacity to serve 400+ thousand beneficiaries.

The Goals of Seha Virtual Hospital

The SVH uses innovative technology to deliver its services and its key goals are:

• The promotion of virtual health care (telehealth)
• The improvement of access to specialist services across the Kingdom including remote areas
• The application of technological innovation to the health sector and enhanced digitisation
• The efficient use of resources and achievement of  sustainability
• The achievement of institutional excellence
• The transfer of knowledge across all areas of the Kingdom

SVH allows patients to visit their local hospitals and attend a real-time live video clinical session with top specialists from across the kingdom. During the session, vital signs can be shared, while tests and x-rays can also be performed and the results shared with the network of specialists.

Specialized services offered by Seha Virtual Hospital

SVH offers the following services:

Emergency and critical advice:

• Virtual strokes
• Virtual daily critical care tours
• electroencephalography (EEG)

Specialized Clinics:

• Blood diseases
• Psychiatry
• Kidney disease
• Endocrinology and diabetes
• Genetic and metabolic diseases
• Geriatric diseases
• Medical rehabilitation
• Heart disease

Patients receive appointments in the specialized virtual clinics upon referral from other healthcare facilities around the Kingdom through various programs such as Virtual Shared Clinics Program and Virtual Cases Program

Multidisciplinary committees:

• Virtual heart team
• Virtual diabetes team
• Virtual psychology

Consultants and experts from multiple different subspecialties meet to review cases transferred from various health facilities which need a specialized advisory opinion to provide recommendations. They can access the patient’s details and clinical notes and form an immediate medical opinion regarding the patient's management.

Medical Support Services:

• virtual xrays
• virtual pathology
• virtual pharmacy services
  

Home care services​​​:

• Home hospital
• Virtual monitoring of heart failure patients

Teams record patients' vital signs from home and record them on an electronic platform at Seha Virtual Hospital to be followed up by a specialized medical team. The patient received a daily review from the virtual specialist consultant.

Teams provide advanced monitoring service for heart failure patients from home by following up their vital signs with innovative technologies to be displayed on an electronic platform in Seha Virtual Hospital and followed up by a medical team led by a specialized consultant around-the-clock.

Technologies Used by Seha Virtual Hospital

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence using algorithms contributes to patient triage, giving priority to patients who require urgent medical intervention and medical diagnosis with a reported accuracy of up to 95%.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality accompanied by direct transmission of live images of surgical procedures allows surgeons to receive guidance and knowledge transfer in complex cases through an electronic platform. This technology has increased the quality of services provided and reduced the proportion of medical referrals between regions.

The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things technology relies on electronic devices to remotely monitor patients' vital signs and send immediate alerts to the medical staff in the event of any negative readings. This permits urgent intervention to avoid and minimise  complications and provide the necessary care promptly.

Locations of 130 Hospitals linked to Seha Virtual Hospital

• Riyadh
• Jeddah
• Mecca
• Medina
• Yanbu
• Tabuk
• Taif
• Jazan
• Asir
• Narjan
• Bisha
• Baha
• Al Qassim
• Al Hassa
• Dammam
• Arar
• Al Ulah
• Al Jawf
• Al Hodud Shamaliyah

The Oncology Platform

On October 19th 2022, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health, announced via the Saudi Press Association, the launch of the first electronic platform in the Middle East dedicated to the speciality of oncology. The oncology e-platform has been launched at the headquarters of the Seha Virtual Health Hospital in Riyadh with the aim of expanding the portfolio of services offered to patients and clinicians.

The platform will be supervised by a group of the Kingdom’s doctors who specialize in oncology and several subspecialties. They will meet to discuss cases of tumours presented to them by the health authorities around the Kingdom.

The platform provides excellent opportunities for exchanging experiences and knowledge between specialists working in the field of oncology both inside and outside the Kingdom. Already cases of breast cancer have been referred and reviewed.

Interested in working in Saudi Arabia's dynamic healthcare sector?

Candidates interested in working as doctors in Saudi Arabia's medical system are invited to register a CV and contact us to discuss opportunities. Advertised jobs can be viewed on our website and applications made by uploading a recent CV.

It should be noted that all candidates will require a DataFlow Report and ultimately registration with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialities.  Details of the procedures and requirements for these applications are available in our guides as follows: DataFlow and SCFHS.

Other useful articles include:

A Guide to CV writing for jobs in Saudi Arabia

Credentialing and Privileging of Physicians

Compare Remuneration of Medical Jobs in Public and Private Sectors