RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA: The 8th edition of the Global Health Exhibition (GHE) opened today in Riyadh, marking another major milestone in Saudi Arabia’s healthcare transformation journey. During the opening ceremony, Minister of Health Fahad bin Abdulrahman Aljalajel announced that this year’s event will host agreements worth more than $33 billion USD, positioning Saudi Arabia as a global leader in the healthcare sector.
Held under the patronage of the Ministry of Health, and supported by Vision 2030 and the Health Sector Transformation Program, the exhibition is organized by Tahaluf and serves as Saudi Arabia’s flagship platform for healthcare investment, innovation, and international collaboration.
The Minister of Health said that Saudi Vision 2030 has created unprecedented opportunities to transform the health sector by shifting focus from treatment to prevention. He highlighted that the average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia has increased to 79.7 years from 74 in 2016. Early screening programs have reached 3 million newborns and 6 million couples, while deaths from chronic diseases have dropped by 38 percent. Road accident fatalities have been reduced by more than half, and 70 percent of cancer cases are now detected in the early stages.
A total of $8.4 billion USD worth of hospital and healthcare infrastructure projects were unveiled during the opening. Hayat National Hospitals announced an expansion to 15 facilities with 4,000 beds through a $1.86 billion investment. Akdital Group, Morocco’s leading private healthcare group, is entering the Saudi market with a $1.41 billion investment, while Mouwasat is investing $1.33 billion to expand in Jeddah, Yanbu, Abha, and Khobar. Alrajhi Medicine committed over $1 billion for new specialty healthcare centers, Burjeel Holdings announced nearly $1 billion for healthcare services by 2030, and both IMC and SMC Healthcare are investing $800 million each in new hospitals, clinics, and medical education.
The life sciences sector saw investments exceeding $625 million USD, including BD’s $266 million plan to localize medical technologies and clinical training. Lifera announced several strategic partnerships with global pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi for vaccine manufacturing, MSD for vaccine production evaluation, Pfizer for biopharmaceutical localization, and Jamjoom Pharma for vaccine collaboration.
Venture capital and healthcare innovation also featured prominently with $3.24 billion USD in new investments. Hillhouse announced $1.49 billion for pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D, Al Fozan Holding committed $675 million for clinical infrastructure, TMV Capital Healthcare and Baraya pledged $405 million for rehabilitation and long-term care, Esnad Financial Company and SEHA Capital launched a $266 million sukuk program, GKSD Investment Holding committed $266 million for patient care transformation, and Goldtrack Ventures introduced a $250 million industrial biotechnology growth fund.
Rachel Sturgess, Senior Vice President at Tahaluf, said the scale of investment reflects Saudi Arabia’s ambition and determination to transform healthcare through innovation, infrastructure, and meaningful partnerships.
This year’s exhibition features leading international healthcare companies including GE, Siemens Healthineers, Fujifilm, Johnson & Johnson, GSK, Samsung, Danaher, Karl Storz, and Stryker, along with Saudi healthcare organizations such as Health Holding, NUPCO, Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, Dallah Health, Hayat National Hospitals, Lean, and STC. Diamond Partners include Tawuniya and WuXi AppTec.
Several digital health initiatives and AI-powered wellness tools were also launched by HUMAIN, Lean, and Google Cloud. Major research, development, and start-up investments were announced to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s growing innovation ecosystem.
Tomorrow’s sessions will highlight innovation and emerging technologies, including smart hospitals, generative AI in healthcare, and digital transformation of patient services, underscoring Saudi Arabia’s commitment to building a world-class healthcare system under Vision 2030.
