It’s not often that you witness a health system reinvent itself in real-time. And yet, this is precisely what is happening across the Middle East. Over…
It’s not often that you witness a health system reinvent itself in real-time. And yet, this is precisely what is happening across the Middle East. Over the past year, our work at OHE has taken us into the heart of one of the most ambitious health system transformations in the world—from Saudi Arabia’s sweeping reforms under Vision 2030 to the UAE’s drive for innovation, resilience, and value in healthcare.
What strikes me most in these engagements is not just the pace of change, but the nature of it. This is not about incremental improvement. It’s about building something new—from the ground up—and doing so with intent.
As health economists, that’s both fascinating and challenging. We’re being invited into early-stage conversations where the rules are still being written. Whether it’s developing HTA frameworks, advising on drug pricing policy, or exploring models for workforce planning, our role is not to tweak the edges but to help shape the foundation.
That’s a very different context from many of our engagements in more established systems, where structures and incentives are already deeply embedded. Here, we see policymakers grappling with first principles: What does “value” mean in this context? How should evidence be weighted? What kind of access model aligns with national priorities and capacity?
Take HTA, for example. In the UAE, interest in HTA is growing rapidly—but the conversation isn’t just about technical guidelines or institutional design. It’s about how HTA can serve broader policy goals: pharmaceutical innovation, equitable access, better patient outcomes. That requires an approach that is sensitive to local context and ambitions—something we at OHE are committed to bringing to every partnership.
Workforce policy is another area where the questions feel fresh and urgent. With high reliance on international labour, countries are rightly asking: what does a sustainable, skilled, and future-ready workforce look like? And how do we invest strategically in the people who will deliver care, not just the technologies and infrastructure that support it? This is a space where our long-standing work on productivity, skill mix, and safe staffing resonates—and where we’re seeing real appetite for evidence-informed policy design.
Drug pricing and access, too, are undergoing redefinition. Governments are exploring how to ensure affordability while encouraging innovation and aligning with global standards. But they are also asking: what kind of pricing system reflects our values? How do we use managed entry agreements or real-world evidence meaningfully, not just mechanically? These are policy spaces where economics, ethics, and politics intersect—and where open, transparent dialogue is crucial.
What’s particularly exciting for OHE is the opportunity to grow with our partners in the region. We’re not just transferring knowledge—we’re co-creating new ways of thinking about health system efficiency, value, and fairness. That means listening closely, adapting our frameworks, and learning from a region that is boldly reimagining its future.
Our growing presence in the Middle East is not just a strategic expansion. It reflects a deeper shift in global health economics: from being a tool of evaluation to becoming a partner in transformation. And for those of us who care about building better, more equitable health systems, there’s never been a more interesting moment to engage.