Article 10 of the Saudi Health Law
المادة 10 من النظام الصحي
The article sets the ways health care is funded: the State budget, cooperative health insurance revenues, and endowments, gifts, donations and bequests, with the Council of Ministers setting the criteria for choosing among them.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
مع عدم الإخلال بما جاء في المادة (الرابعة) يتم تمويل خدمات الرعاية الصحية بالطُرق الآتية :
1 - الميزانية العامة للدولة.
2 - إيرادات الضمان الصحي التعاوني .
3 - الوقف والهِبات والتبرعات والوصايا وغيرها.
وتحدَّد بقرار من مجلس الوزراء بناء على اقتِراح من الوزير الأُسُّس والمعايير التي يتم بموجبِها اختيار طُرق تمويل الخدمات التي تُقدِّمُها المرافِق الصحية المُختلِفة وتنظيم حق الانتِفاع بِها.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 10 explained in plain English
This article shows the sources of funding for health care services.
Methods of funding:
- The State's general budget.
- Cooperative health insurance revenues.
- Endowments (waqf), gifts, donations, bequests and the like.
Setting the bases: the Council of Ministers, by decision on the Minister's proposal, sets:
- the bases and criteria under which the method of funding the services provided by the various health facilities is chosen,
- and the regulation of the right to benefit from them.
"Without prejudice to what is stated in Article 4": Article 4 provides that the State provides to citizens, in the manner it regulates, services including: maternal and child care, immunization programs, care of the disabled and the elderly, student health care, accident, emergency and disaster care, controlling infectious and epidemic diseases, treating chronic diseases such as removing tumors, organ transplants and kidney dialysis, mental health, and other elements of primary care. The multiplicity of funding methods therefore does not affect these services, which the State is obliged to provide to citizens.
In practical terms the article does not itself determine which service is funded from which source, or who pays for what, but leaves that to a decision of the Council of Ministers. So it cannot be inferred from it alone that a particular service is or is not free.
Anyone who needs an opinion on a particular situation would do well to consult a lawyer specialized in health laws or administrative cases.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 10 of the Saudi Health Law
What are the sources of funding for health services in Saudi Arabia?
The State's general budget, cooperative health insurance revenues, and endowments, gifts, donations, bequests and the like.
Who decides how each service is funded?
The Council of Ministers, by decision on the Minister's proposal, sets the bases and criteria for choosing funding methods and regulating the right to benefit.
Do funding methods affect the Article 4 services?
The article provides that it is without prejudice to what is stated in Article 4 regarding services the State provides to citizens.
Articles this article refers to
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The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.