Tell us about yourself, the organisation you lead, and its role in the healthcare industry.

Ajlan & Bros Group was established in 1979. From that humble start, today we are proud to say we are in 25 countries with over 75 companies. The Group employs over 15,000 employees, and we manage assets over US$15 billion. A holding company established to invest in a diversified portfolio of projects across Saudi Arabia’s key economic growth sectors. In line with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and H.R.H. Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s 2030 Vision for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ajlan & Bros Group has embarked on a significant diversification program both regionally and globally.

We aim to support the modernization of Saudi Arabia, whilst providing avenues for private investment and local employment opportunities. In line with Vision 2030 and under the leadership of H.R.H. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Shareek Program will help the Kingdom develop a resilient economy and become an even stronger investment hub. Healthcare is a key focus sector for us, and we have a robust strategy that aligns with the Healthcare transformation program of KSA. We want to partner with the government in bringing the much-needed private investments for the upcoming PPP projects.

Tell us about your regional/global presence, the strategic journey into Saudi Arabia’s health sector and your organisational goals for the year 2023 in the country.

Our healthcare strategy is aligned to the Vision 2030 program. Our strategy is based on both the immediate gaps and long-term strategy for KSA, this is summed up in the following:

• Manufacturing and localisation: This is aligned with the Saudi vision to make our economy self-sustainable and localise manufacturing of products and devices.
• Healthcare services: We are aware of the gaps in both infrastructure and services. That is why we are planning for establishing strategic hospitals. They will be high-quality centres of excellence to provide specialised healthcare services, and we will also provide social care and mental health services by providing various methods to ensure easy access to this specialised service with the best technical solutions.
• Healthcare Technology: This is a very big focus area for us. We are working with multiple partners to provide an integrated and customised healthcare technology platform including virtual care and approved solutions to activate the role of citizens to be responsible for their own, family and society healthcare.
• Genomics and biotechnology: We will be establishing an advanced Genetic lab by next year and providing all the required genetic testing from our lab solutions. We are also laying the foundation to search for future opportunities aligned with applicable laws and regulations to protect healthcare information.
• Pharmaceuticals:  We are exploring many solutions in Pharma including acquisitions for local manufacturing of essential drugs, manufacturing of vaccines, and pharmacy automation.
• Workforce development: This is a big challenge for KSA, and we are still heavily reliant on the foreign workforce. At Ajlan, we are getting ready to develop the workforce of the future including nursing, health coaches, care coordinators and health informatics personnel.

What are your thoughts on Saudi Arabia’s ongoing transformation from a healthcare perspective and its potential for investors in the region?

We understand the challenges for the healthcare sector and the new models of care very well. Our focus is to improve the lives of our citizens through population health management, wellness solutions, home healthcare services, etc., which will revolutionise the delivery of care and shift towards prevention. The private sector will have a huge part to play in the next 7 to 10 years to deliver the transformation projects and sustain them for a long time. As the Kingdom moves to the delivery of care through ‘clusters’ and we implement new payer mechanisms to fund healthcare, the system must become highly proactive, value-based, and outcomes-oriented. 

At Ajlan Medical Company, all our services and offerings are aligned to meet the above objectives in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Based on your observation, what would you say are some of the key areas of development and growth in Saudi Arabia’s healthcare industry?

The new models of care will have to bridge the gap between our current capacity and demand by focusing on prevention, care outside of hospitals, focus on the family as a unit and wellness. We must get ready to face the increasing burden of chronic diseases and mental health problems, while at the same time witnessing a rapid growth in the population size.

That is why Ajlan is focusing on innovative care models by supporting service providers to facilitate access to healthcare, like home healthcare, virtual care, self-care tools, and population health management.

Looking at Global Health Exhibition 2022, what are the state-of-the-art products/services your organisation will showcase at the event and what opportunities are in store for visitors?

We, along with our local and international partners will be delivering the following key messages through this event:

• Ajlan & Bros focus on healthcare heavily and in a sustainable way by providing the best support solutions for healthcare providers, and bridging the specialised healthcare gaps by the private sector
• The future of healthcare technology in Saudi Arabia
• Ajlan group of hospitals to deliver different centres of excellence focused on tertiary advanced care
• Local content and localisation of medical devices and tools

We will be showcasing the following solutions — Telehealth, Virtual care, Home healthcare, Genomics, AI in health, Population health management, Care coordination, Home healthcare services.

Please share some of your recent and upcoming organisational goals for the coming year.

By 2023, Ajlan Medical Company aims to:

• Localise manufacturing of medical products in KSA
• Improve two million lives through techniques to coordinate healthcare and solutions ensuring public health management
• Set up a genetic lab and launch genetic testing in KSA
• Deliver solutions in partnership with service providers and regulators
• Deliver at least 500,000 home healthcare visits
• Launch our mental health platform and services