Saudi Virtual Care Expands Access to Health Services

Saudi Arabia is broadening remote access to healthcare through its expanding virtual-care system, led by the Ministry of Health's Seha Virtual Hospital, which connects patients across the Kingdom to specialist services without the need to travel.

The scale of the shift is clear in recent figures: activity through Seha Virtual Hospital helped drive more than 16 million appointments in 2025. Telehealth is now firmly embedded in the country's health-insurance rules and official policy, with pricing, licensing, and provider obligations all set through the national health-regulation framework.

How pricing works

There is no single fixed national retail price for telehealth. Instead, providers must publish their consultation prices, and a telehealth consultation cannot exceed the price of the equivalent in-person visit under the basic health insurance document. In practice for 2026, private telemedicine visits are commonly reported at 150–250 SAR for a general practitioner, 300–500 SAR for a specialist, and 200–400 SAR for mental-health or therapy sessions.

Licensing for providers

Operators looking to run remote services can apply for a Telehealth and Telemedicine Center License, which carries a fee of 1,000 SAR and a listed processing time of 3–5 days. The service also involves additional items, including Seha Portal fees and a Medical Coding Certificate fee. Separately, the telehealth regulation sets an approval fee of 5,000 SAR

For residents and expats in Riyadh, Jeddah, and beyond, the expansion means faster access to consultations, clearer pricing rules, and the ability to reach specialists remotely. Anchoring telehealth within the insurance and regulatory framework is intended to protect patients on price while widening the reach of care across the Kingdom.

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