Population health management in Saudi Arabia: A narrative review of system undergoing reform

Background the Saudi Arabian healthcare system is undergoing transformation towards 2030 vision, with increase recognition of Population Health Management (PHM) as a critical approach to enhance health system efficiency, health outcome, and preventing the burden of chronic diseases. Despite the implementation, integration, and policies intentions of PHM in Saudi Arabia, there is a need to inform ongoing transformation through consolidated and contextual understanding of PHM Methods This narrative review synthesis published literature examining PHM in the context of Saudi Arabia. relevant studies were identified through multiple databases and search engine including PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the content and generate themes across the included studies Results Five emerging themes were reported in terms of Healthcare services, policies and regulations, economics, e-health, and health insurance across 34 studies. The healthcare services in Saudi Arabia are reported to be facing many obstacles that have to be addressed to provide the population with optimal services that can follow the revolutionary vision of Saudi Arabia. Among these challenges, insufficient population education and engagement were consistently identified as major barriers to effective PHM implementation. Conclusion The transformation plan of Saudi Arabia is promising, yet the success of these reforms depends on the population. Hence, more focus is mandated on strengthening population engagement, system integration, and governance capacity. This narrative review underscores the need to focus on population-centered strategies and to translate structural reforms into measurable health gains and sustainable system performance.