By Wael K. Abdallah, Group CEO, Cambridge Health Group
The GCC healthcare sector is undergoing a transformation unprecedented in its scale, speed and ambition. For those of us working in clinical delivery, the implications are profound. The decisions being made today about investment, infrastructure, and innovation will shape how we practise medicine for the generations to come.
Investment: Capital flowing at scale
The numbers tell a compelling story. According to JLL, nearly 400 healthcare transactions were recorded across the GCC between 2021 and April 2025, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE accounting for almost 92% of this activity.
What distinguishes this investment cycle from previous ones is its breadth. Capital is flowing not only into acute care hospitals but across the entire healthcare value chain: digital health platforms, outpatient services, home healthcare, rehabilitation, long-term care, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. At the Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh this October, over US$33 billion in agreements were announced, a 125% increase over 2024, with significant commitments to hospital infrastructure, life sciences, and healthcare innovation.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health, H.E. Fahad bin Abdulrahman Aljalajel, captured the shift in philosophy: “We have moved from treatment after illness, to prevention before illness, and from investing in pain to investing in hope.” This orientation towards prevention and population health is reshaping how capital is being deployed across the sector.
For clinicians, this investment surge translates into expanded facilities, upgraded equipment, and launch of new service lines. It also means greater competition for talent, as providers compete to attract and retain skilled professionals in an expanding market.
Capacity expansion: Building the infrastructure
Saudi Arabia’s capacity expansion programme is the most ambitious in the region, Vision 2030 targets the privatisation of 290 hospitals and 2,300 primary health centres, with private sector involvement expected to increase from 40% to 65% of healthcare delivery by 2030. The Kingdom allocated SR260 billion ($69.3 billion) to health and social development in 2025, the second-largest share of government spending. The 2026 budget, approved in December 2025, maintains the government’s commitment to healthcare while prioritising spending efficiency across all sectors.
As the region’s ageing population grows and lifestyle diseases become increasingly prevalent, countries around the GCC are confronting a widening gap between the demand for high-quality post-acute care services and their supply.
Where do patients go after their hospital stay? Where do stroke survivors receive intensive rehabilitation? Where do patients with complex chronic conditions receive the sustained, specialised care they need? These questions are becoming urgent as acute care capacity expands. Knight Frank’s November 2025 analysis of Saudi healthcare infrastructure found that existing long-term care facilities in the Kingdom are operating at 90% or higher occupancy, with Colliers indicating in their Healthcare Market Report 2023 an estimated increase in demand for LTC and Rehab beds by approximately 40% to approximately 21,000 beds by 2030 driven by ageing population and rising incidence of chronic diseases.
At Cambridge Health Group, we have spent over a decade building the post-acute infrastructure that completes the care continuum. From 260 beds in 2021, we have grown to 715 beds across six facilities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia delivering rehabilitation, long-term care, home healthcare, and outpatient services. In August 2024, our facilities received three-year accreditation from CARF International for our Stroke Specialty and Long-Term Acute Care programmes, bringing our total to eight CARF-accredited programmes, the highest number for any rehabilitation provider in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Clinical innovation: Technology reshaping practice
Digital transformation is accelerating across GCC healthcare. Saudi Arabia has invested US$1.5 billion in telemedicine, according to Government sources. AI-driven diagnostics, and electronic health records. The Kingdom launched the region’s largest health information exchange in 2022, consolidating data from over 5,000 healthcare organisations. The Seha Virtual Hospital connects over 170 hospitals, enabling patients in remote areas to access specialists. The UAE’s national digital health strategy similarly prioritises AI-enabled clinical tools and smart healthcare infrastructure.
The smart hospital market in Saudi Arabia alone is expected to grow from US$675 million in 2024 to over US$1.7 billion by 2033, driven by AI-powered diagnostics, robotic surgical systems, and 5G-connected devices.
The results are already visible in population health outcomes. Saudi Arabia’s average life expectancy has increased from 74 in 2016 to 79.7 years today. Deaths from chronic diseases have dropped by 38%. Seventy percent of cancer cases are now detected in early stages.
Yet technology alone does not deliver outcomes. Clinical innovation requires the human systems to implement it: trained professionals, robust protocols, multidisciplinary teamwork, and a culture of continuous improvement. The most sophisticated diagnostic tool is only as valuable as the clinician interpreting its results.
What this means for healthcare professionals
Several implications stand out for those of us delivering care in this environment, notably the demand for skilled healthcare professionals, particularly in specialised areas like rehabilitation, oncology, and critical care will intensify. Providers who invest seriously in training, development, and retention, will have a significant advantage.
Quality and outcomes measurement will become increasingly important. Regulators, insurers, and patients are demanding evidence of value, not just assertions of excellence. The conversation is shifting towards outcome metrics: functional improvement scores, length of stay, readmission rates, etc. Providers that can demonstrate results will thrive.
Integration across the care continuum will define the next phase of healthcare delivery. Fragmented care, with patients navigating between disconnected providers, is neither efficient nor effective. The future belongs to platforms that can offer seamless transitions from acute care to rehabilitation to home healthcare, with shared information systems and coordinated clinical teams.
At Cambridge Health Group, we are responding on multiple fronts: expanding our bed capacity to meet this growing demand, investing in artificial intelligence, digital front door solutions, and remote patient monitoring to pioneer new delivery models, and diversifying our service lines to address unmet need in areas such as dialysis services and mental health.
The road ahead
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 set the ambition. The years ahead are about execution. The investment is flowing. The infrastructure is being built. The technology is being deployed. The next stage is about turning investment and infrastructure into measurable improvements in patient outcomes.
For policymakers, regulators, and healthcare leaders, the focus must now shift to implementation: ensuring digital tools enhance care pathways, supporting workforce development at scale, and embedding outcomes measurement into everyday practice.
For us at Cambridge Health Group, we are energised by what lies ahead. Our commitment is clear: to be the region’s leading post-acute care provider, delivering world-class rehabilitation and long-term care that truly changes lives.
The GCC healthcare sector is entering a defining period. The demographic need is undeniable. The policy support is strong. The investment is substantial. And the opportunity to make a genuine difference in patients’ lives has never been greater.
For healthcare professionals across the region, this is an extraordinary moment. We have the resources, the expertise, and the ambition to build something remarkable. At Cambridge, we are proud to be part of this transformation, and we look forward to the journey ahead.
About the author
Wael Abdallah leads Cambridge Health Group, GCC’s leading provider of post-acute care services. With over 20 years of experience in private equity, asset management and corporate finance, Wael has built a track record in scaling healthcare businesses and creating shareholder value.
Prior to joining Cambridge Health Group, Wael served as Director of Investments at Amanat Holdings, where he led healthcare and social infrastructure transactions and played a key role in scaling Amanat’s Healthcare Platform. He was also a Principal at TVM Capital Healthcare Partners, supporting fundraising, deal sourcing & execution, and portfolio optimization.
Earlier in his career, Wael spent over seven years at Ernst & Young’s Dubai office where he led landmark transactions and steered capital market entries for key regional clients.
Wael began his career at Bank Audi in Beirut as founding member of its Corporate Risk Management department and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the American University of Beirut.
Cambridge Health Group
Cambridge Health Group is the GCC’s leading provider of post-acute care, specifically inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, long-term, and home healthcare services, operating 715 beds across six facilities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia with plans to expand beyond 1,000 beds.
Cambridge Health Group commitment to the highest level of clinical excellence is supported by extensive list of international and local accreditations that includes Joint Commission International (JCI), Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and the Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions (CBAHI). Moreover, Cambridge Health Group has been at the forefront of introducing specialized rehabilitation programs including hydrotherapy, ventilator weaning and cerebral palsy.
The Group today has a workforce of over 1,200 healthcare professionals focusing on improving patient outcomes and quality of life through patient-centric care model and advanced technologies.
- References
McKinsey & Company: Digital health analysis. Source for economic benefits of digital healthcare adoption ($15-27 billion by 2030) and combined Saudi Arabia/UAE digital health market projection ($4 billion by 2026). - Knight Frank (November 2025): Healthcare in Saudi Arabia: Opportunities in Jeddah report. Source for long-term care bed demand projections, LTC facility occupancy rates (90%+), demographic growth forecasts.
- Oxford Economics: Population projections cited in Knight Frank report. Source for 65+ population growth (2.3x by 2040).
- Global Health Exhibition (October 2025): Official announcements from the 8th edition held 27-30 October 2025 in Riyadh. Source for $33 billion in agreements (125% increase over 2024), Minister of Health quote, life expectancy data (74 to 79.7 years), 38% reduction in chronic disease deaths, 70% early cancer detection, screening programme reach.
- Saudi Ministry of Finance: 2025 Budget Report (SR260 billion health and social development allocation) and 2026 Budget Statement (December 2025).
- Cambridge Health Group / CMRC (August 2024): Press release via PR Newswire. Source for CARF accreditation milestone.
