Saudi health leader says healthcare must be treated as investment, not burden

Healthcare must be recognized as the world’s most strategic investment in security and resilience—not as a financial burden—declared Dr. Majid Alfayyadh, Adviser at the Saudi Royal Court and Chief Executive Officer of King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC), in his keynote at the C3 Davos of Healthcare Summit in Tokyo.

Alfayyadh argued that strong health systems translate into lives saved, economic growth, job creation, and the ability to withstand crises from pandemics to climate-related emergencies. He urged nations to reframe healthcare as a driver of prosperity and global competitiveness.

Five key areas of investment

Alfayyadh outlined five domains he said are essential for sustainable healthcare: modern hospital infrastructure, digital health and AI, advanced laboratories and precision medicine, expanded workforce roles such as data scientists, and resilient supply chains with localized vaccine and drug production.

He stressed that no breakthrough in medicine—from vaccines to surgery—succeeded without strong delivery systems. Today’s advances in robotics, biotechnology, and genomics, he said, must also be supported by robust infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 model

Placing Saudi Arabia as an example, Alfayyadh pointed to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 Health Sector Transformation Program, which views healthcare as an engine of innovation and diversification. KFSHRC, founded to reduce reliance on treatment abroad, has pioneered achievements such as the first fully robotic heart transplant, CAR T-cell therapy, and genomic research.

He also emphasized collaboration, inviting Japanese and global partners to co-develop research, share technologies, and shape the future of integrated healthcare.

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

KFSHRC was recently ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa and 15th globally among academic medical centers. It was also named the most valuable healthcare brand in the region by Brand Finance and recognized in Newsweek’s World’s Best Smart Hospitals list for 2025.