The health sector in Saudi Arabia presents a rich material for social historians to assess the interaction between political, social, economic determinants and establishment of modernized health sector. As of 2025, Saudi health sector marks a century of commitment to population health and to delivering highest standards of healthcare services. The year of 1925 marks the foundation of infrastructure for modernized health system by establishment of the first official health authority in Makkah with branches all over the reuniting Kingdom. Yet, literature that documented the history of health sector in Saudi Arabia is scarce. Often, assessed in the context of social and cultural historical assessment.
Authenticity, solidarity, sustainability set the pillar for the agile emerging health system that had responded with maximum possible efficiency to abrupt and unanticipated events at local, regional, and global levels and maintain continuity of services and ensure population health safety in collaboration with other state agencies. The health sector in Saudi Arabia was unique since foundation because it was carefully aligned with social, political, and economic determinants of health. The sector was blessed with generous governmental support. Population health is a priority since establishment.
Regardless the efforts that documented Saudi Arabia modern history, few had assessed the formal management of health sector. In the context of social history, in depth analysis of health sector in Saudi Arabia is pivotal for comprehensive understanding of the historical background of one of the most complex sectors because of its multidimensional nature and the need for multilateral assessment. Collaboration between historians and health research is the cornerstone for unbiased, comprehensive, and precise documentation and assessment. Thus, academic institutes and official authorities should invest to support research activities that aim to document and assess history. Scientific evidence should enrich the literature and establish a reference library for art and culture movement to infuse their materials with necessary information based on solid scientific literature.
Documenting the history of health sector in Saudi Arabia is an opportunity for researchers, historians, artists, and contents creators to draw the sector history architecture in the context of the historical period and portray the impact of social, political, and economical dilemma. History departments at academic institutes may consider opening up for engagement of health researchers and develop training programs to equip researchers with necessary tools to verify and assess the available unaudited data. Unless efforts united to write various chapters of health sector in Saudi Arabia across different historical periods, we will continue to be challenges with resources limitation and the need to assess available publications might be influenced by political tendencies or personal perspectives. It is to stand united to lay the foundation for assessing health sector from historical perspective.
