Saudi Arabia is making major moves in using telemedicine and AI to enhance its healthcare system, especially for people living in distant or underserved areas. These efforts are a key part of the country’s Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to transform the healthcare sector alongside broader economic and technological growth goals.
The country’s digital health sector is expected to expand rapidly—from around $3.2 billion last year to a projected $13.3 billion by 2031. Much of this growth will come from investing in AI-powered diagnostics and streamlining healthcare services.
One example is the Seha Virtual Hospital, which uses AI tools to help with diagnosis and to support real-time doctor consultations. Another project, Nala, integrates artificial intelligence with wearable devices to offer more tailored care experiences.
Several telehealth services are also making it easier for people to access medical help from home. Platforms like Cura and Babylon Health offer symptom-checking powered by AI, electronic prescriptions, and remote consultation, bridging gaps in care for people in rural areas.
Saudi Arabia isn’t alone in this digital transformation. The shift is part of a broader movement across the Gulf region, including the UAE. Together, the digital health markets in these countries are projected to hit $4 billion in the next two years. Within Saudi Arabia alone, the AI healthcare sector is currently valued at around $320 million and is forecasted to grow at a steep annual rate of 35% through 2030—far surpassing global growth rates in this field.
This momentum is partly due to the country’s high smartphone usage, which stands at about 93%. That high penetration rate creates a strong base for mobile health apps and virtual consultations. The government is also actively encouraging public and private sector partnerships to help overcome previous technological challenges that slowed down digital health adoption.
However, the fast-paced rollout of AI in healthcare has exposed a gap in workforce readiness. A recent study found that while Saudi health sciences and medical students have a generally positive view of AI, their actual preparedness to use these tools remains moderate. Around 44.5% of students even believe that AI-focused courses should be made mandatory in medical training.
Despite growing awareness among the public—over 84% are familiar with AI in healthcare, and most see it as a support tool rather than a replacement for professionals—there’s still a critical need to train medical workers on how to use this technology effectively. Without this, even the most advanced systems may fall short in practice.
There are also ethical concerns. Nurses and other professionals using AI tools report that while these systems help improve decisions, they also raise unresolved questions about how patient data is handled.
Health experts believe that developing robust ethical guidelines will be crucial as AI tools advance and new technologies are investigated for use in healthcare, particularly in cultural contexts where privacy expectations may differ from those in Western nations where many of these tools are developed.
The growing use of AI in not just healthcare but also in other industries around the world is likely to serve as a tailwind that spurs entities like D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) to ramp up their operations in order to serve the growing market for their solutions.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/QBTS
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