The Makkah Health Cluster achieved a remarkable digital milestone in 2025, providing over 1.2 million virtual medical consultations through the activation of its virtual clinic system across 111 of its healthcare facilities. This strategic step enhances access to healthcare services and reduces waiting times, reflecting the rapid development of the digital infrastructure within the healthcare sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The services provided encompassed a wide range of over 150 specialized and general medical fields, all operated with high efficiency to ensure that care reached beneficiaries in their local areas. This technological expansion directly contributed to streamlining the patient's treatment journey, reducing waiting lists at outpatient clinics, and increasing the efficiency of human and operational resource utilization in healthcare facilities, thus allowing medical staff to focus on critical cases requiring immediate intervention.
Strategic context and health transformation
This achievement cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader context of the healthcare sector in the Kingdom, where the activation of telemedicine and virtual clinics is a cornerstone of the health transformation program stemming from Vision 2030. These programs aim to restructure the healthcare sector into a comprehensive, efficient, and integrated system based on the health of the individual and society. The Kingdom has demonstrated its regional and international leadership in the field of digital health, particularly following its successes in managing health crises and leveraging technology to provide remote patient care.
Special importance of the holy capital
This expansion in Mecca is of exceptional importance given the city's unique status and significance; the holy city receives millions of visitors, pilgrims, and Umrah performers annually. Activating virtual clinics helps alleviate pressure on central hospitals and emergency centers, ensuring greater preparedness to handle emergencies for both pilgrims and residents of the area. This model also reinforces the concept of the "smart hospital," which aims to provide proactive, preventative, and curative healthcare services according to the highest international standards.
Improving the patient experience as a priority
The health cluster explained that these steps are part of a comprehensive development plan that prioritizes the patient experience, while ensuring the continuity of healthcare through the use of the latest digital solutions. The cluster emphasized that its outcomes align with the national transformation strategies to provide a flexible and safe care model. The cluster concluded its statement by affirming its commitment to further expanding virtual services in the future and adding new specialties and facilities to guarantee the highest standards of quality and efficiency for beneficiaries, thus solidifying the Kingdom's position as a leading example in modern healthcare.
