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Due to the limited capacity of extended care beds in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, government hospitals are entering short-term agreements with private hospitals (multispecialty hospitals and extended care hospitals) to shift long-term care patients. Services are concentrated in major cities with less or no coverage in the peripheral areas, and a limited number of extended care hospitals in public and private sector.

Extended care services emerged from the need to cover long-term healthcare needs for patients who need care, but not hospital beds. The complexity and level of sophistication of care range from basic to very complex, as per the existing medical condition requiring care. The types of care falling under extended care vary from rehabilitation, home care to long-term care, and multiple factors drive the demand for extended care services in KSA.

The aging population, number of road traffic accidents, and the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases along with multiple other factors are contributing to KSA’s rising demand for long-term care services. It is expected that overall growth may be restrained due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but growth in extended care services is expected to occur as the demand increases.