Emerging issues in health planning in Saudi Arabia: the effects of organization and development on the health care system.

The modern Saudi Health System has had four phases of planning with shifts, changes in priorities, overtime organizational arrangements. The proliferation of government health delivery system in both the public and private sectors within a short period of time has brought into focus several health planning issues--co-ordination, health information systems, the need for establishing a national health planning body, the need for developing and establishing an accreditation agency such as The Joint Commission of Accreditation of American Hospitals (JCAH), an acute shortage of trained manpower, reconsideration of option in financing health care, and reorganization of the Ministry of Health. These and other issues which seem paramount for 1990 and beyond are discussed in this paper. These and other issues which seem paramount for 1990 and beyond are discussed in this paper. The challenge for health planners is to confront these health policy issues so as to improve upon the already tremendous achievements of the health delivery system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.