IT expenditure in KSA up 9% to reach $4.1bn in 2012 as tech investments in key sectors rise

KSA's healthcare sector is expected to account for a significant percentage of the Kingdom's massive IT investments, as the Saudi Government continues to take advantage of the latest technological advances to address the growing healthcare requirements of the rapidly expanding Saudi population.

In 2012 alone, KSA's healthcare expenditure already reached $24.35bn, achieving a 16% increase compared to the previous year. A substantial percentage of the total expenses was used to purchase specialized e-Health and related IT solutions for healthcare. Moreover, KSA allocated $1.74bn for medical devices in 2012, up 17.8% from 2011.

Mehmet Bilginsoy, Managing Director, CGM Middle East, said: "The Saudi Government has strengthened its investments in technology as part of its commitment to enhance the quality of public services being provided to its citizens. In this regard, improving the technology infrastructure of the healthcare sector is one of the Kingdom's top priorities, which in turn has helped establish KSA as one of the most lucrative markets for healthcare IT solutions".

"We are confident that CGM is strongly positioned to cater to KSA's growing demand for e-Health solutions that enable healthcare institutions across the Kingdom to vastly improve the quality of their services. We have already provided healthcare IT solutions to several prominent Saudi medical institutions, including King Fahad Medical City. Moreover, CGM has been stepping up its efforts to develop more personalized solutions that cater to the unique requirements of the Saudi market," said Thomas Reitmayr, Vice President, Business Development, CompuGroup Medical.