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Located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel is one of the Kingdom’s most advanced and trusted healthcare institutions, known for its clinical excellence, innovation, and patient-centered approach. The hospital plays a central role in a robust network of hospitals, clinics, and telehealth services, delivering integrated care across all levels of the healthcare continuum.
Medical Tourism Magazine recently had the opportunity to speak with Dr Salah Rashed Elfaqih MbChB, FRCS(Glasgow), FRCS (Eng), Chief Medical Officer at Dallah Healthcare, to discuss the hospital’s exceptional journey in global healthcare. Under his visionary leadership and in alignment with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, Dallah Hospital has invested heavily in digitization, quality infrastructure, and workforce.
1. Visionary Leadership: As the Chief Medical Officer of Dallah Healthcare, can you share your views and the key milestones that have shaped Dallah Health and Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel growth under your leadership?
Dallah Healthcare (DHC) is a publicly listed company on the Saudi Stock Exchange, evolving from a single hospital into one of the most robust healthcare networks in the kingdom encompassing multiple hospitals, standalone clinics, homecare as well as telemedicine and a dedicated team of thousands of caregivers. This has enabled Dallah healthcare to become a major player in the national and regional healthcare sector as well as a prominent pillar in the healthcare landscape of Saudi Arabia.
Dallah health institutions, hospitals, and clinics, complement each other in providing integrated comprehensive healthcare at all levels; tertiary, secondary, primary, and emergency care in inpatient and ambulatory settings at multiple sites as well as in homecare and in telemedicine.
Dallah Healthcare's approach extends beyond traditional medical treatments, encompassing a wide range of specialties aimed at addressing the comprehensive health needs of our community.
Since its establishment in 1987, Dallah hospital Al Nakheel, the flagship of DHC, has expanded and has consistently demonstrated unparalleled excellence, and innovation, and it has been at the forefront of medical advances and clinical excellence. It provides very high-quality comprehensive healthcare through over thirty-five specialized and sub-specialized medical and surgical centers in addition to the twelve internationally recognized and accredited centers of surgical excellence. Key milestones that have defined our journey include:
• Strategic Alignment with Vision 2030:
One of our early priorities was to align our hospital’s strategy with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. This meant enhancing not only infrastructure and services, but also embracing digitization, workforce development, and global partnerships.
• Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA):
Achieving GHA was a major milestone. It affirmed our readiness to serve international patients and validated our protocols, patient safety standards, and overall medical travel services. This accreditation was not just symbolic—it was operationally transformative.
• Clinical Excellence and International Accreditations:
We strengthened our clinical governance model and secured prestigious accreditations including CBAHI, Joint Commission International (JCI) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP). These accreditations reinforce our commitment to global best practices in healthcare delivery.
• Establishment of centers of Excellence Programs:
We established many Centers of Excellence in key specialties and subspecialties supported by multidisciplinary, highly specialized and well-trained teams and cutting-edge technology.
• Patient Experience and Digital Transformation:
We implemented a comprehensive digital health transformation strategy, ranging from AI assisted diagnostics to patient engagement platforms that ensure a seamless, personalized, and efficient patient experience.
Our journey has been one of transformation, innovation, and a strong commitment to patient centered care and has been guided by the belief that healthcare should be compassionate, evidence-based, and globally competitive. As the Chief Medical Officer of Dallah Healthcare, my primary objective is to elevate the standards of clinical excellence, not just to meet international benchmarks, but to exceed them particularly as we aimed to position ourselves as a hub for medical tourism in the region. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved as a team, and even more excited for what lies ahead as we continue to innovate and expand our reach.
• Quality and Patient Safety:
In the healthcare industry, quality and patient safety is extremely important and in DHC, the quest for quality and patient safety are unabated, and ensuring treating patients in a safe environment is always a priority in providing our integrated medical services. This is obvious and evident from the excellent unparallelled track record of national and international accreditations from world renounced accreditation bodies and the prizes which have been awarded to Dallah Hospital Alnakheel. In 2009, Dallah hospital Alnakheel became one of the first hospitals in the kingdom to obtain the world renounced, Joint Commission International Accreditation (JCIA) as recognition for the hospital0s quality and patient safety. Accreditations include: CBAHI, JCI, College of American pathologists (CAP)accreditation for the hospital laboratory, Saudi FDA certification for the blood bank, ISO 22000 (HACCP)for food services, ISO 27000 for IT and HIMSS 6 Certification for information technology.
2. Creating a World-Class Medical Travel Program: While Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel has long received traveling patients, your recent efforts to establish a formal medical travel program mark a significant step forward. What lessons have you learned in this process, and how do you see this program evolving in the coming years?
Creating a formal medical travel program at Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel has been both a strategic initiative and a transformative journey. While we have always welcomed patients from abroad, formalizing our medical travel services requires us to think beyond clinical care. It demanded a holistic, end-to-end patient experience that meets international expectations at every touchpoint. Here are some key lessons we’ve learned along the way:
• Patient Experience is Paramount:
Medical travelers are not just looking for clinical excellence; they expect cultural sensitivity, personalized coordination, and peace of mind from the moment they inquire to the moment they return home. We had to build an integrated service model that included dedicated care coordinators, multilingual staff, concierge services, and travel facilitation.
• Standardization and Accreditation Matter:
Achieving Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) taught us the importance of formal protocols that reduce variability, improve safety, and build transparency and trust with international patients and referral partners. Accreditation is not just a badge; it is a roadmap for excellence in healthcare provision.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration is Essential:
Medical travel requires synchronization across departments, clinical, administrative, legal, marketing and hospitality. This level of integration needed a cultural shift and was one of the most important enablers of our success.
• Trust is Built Through Transparency and Outcomes:
International patients—and their families—choose providers based on trust. That trust comes from transparent communication, clear outcomes of data, and robust follow-up systems. We’ve invested heavily in all three of them.
• Looking ahead, we vision Dallah Hospital’s medical travel program evolving in:
- Expansion of Specialized Centers of Excellence that attract niche international demand in areas like minimally invasive surgery, advanced diagnostics, and rehabilitation.
- Digital Front Door for Global Patients provides a seamless digital platform which allows for remote consultations, second opinions, treatment planning, and post-treatment follow-up.
- A global ecosystem that aims to establish referral and continuity of care that creates a truly global ecosystem around patient mobility.
Ultimately, our goal is to make Dallah Hospital not only a regional healthcare provider, but a world class destination for healing, recovery, and excellence. In our journey, establishing a medical travel program is just the beginning, and we are committed to leading it and evolving it with innovation, compassion, and integrity.
3. GHA Accreditation Achievement: Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel has recently achieved Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) for Medical Travel Services. Why did you choose GHA, and how does this accreditation enhance the experience for traveling patients?
Achieving GHA accreditation was a major milestone for Dallah hospital. It affirmed our readiness to serve international patients and validated our protocols, patient safety standards, and overall medical travel services. This accreditation is not just symbolic, rather it was operationally transformative. Our decision to pursue Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) was strategic and deliberate. As we began formalizing our medical travel program, we recognized the need for an internationally respected framework that could guide us in building a world-class experience specifically tailored to international patients. GHA stood out, not just because of its rigorous standards, but because of its patient-centric approach to the entire medical travel journey. We chose GHA for several key reasons:
• Medical Travel Expertise:
GHA is unique in that it focuses exclusively on medical travel. Their framework addresses the specific needs of international patients—before, during, and after care. That includes everything from travel coordination to cultural competence, clinical quality, and continuity of care once the patient returns home.
• Operational Excellence:
The GHA accreditation process required us to review and enhance our internal workflows, communication protocols, and service delivery models. This has helped us raise the bar across all departments—creating a consistent and safe patient experience.
• Trust and Global Recognition:
Being GHA-accredited instantly reassures patients, governments, and insurers around the world that we meet international standards for medical travel. It builds credibility and opens doors to new markets and strategic partnerships.
• Trust of traveling patients
GHA accreditation translates to a more seamless and reassuring experience from the first point of contact to follow-up care. They benefit from:
• Dedicated international patient services
• Clear communication in their language
• Personalized care coordination and travel support
• Culturally competent medical teams
• Enhanced safety and transparency
In essence, GHA has helped us not only systematize but also humanize the patient journey. It reinforces our commitment to excellence and allowed us to deliver care that is not only clinically outstanding but also emotionally supportive and globally trusted.
4. Enhancing Patient Experience: Patient experience is a cornerstone of Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel's services. What specific initiatives have been introduced to ensure a patient-centered approach, and how do you measure their success?
Improving patient experience is one of DHC strategic pillars and it has been our priority for many years. Patient centered care, enhancing patient experience and ensuring treating patients in a healing environment is very important in healthcare provision at all levels, it is more so in medical travel programs. At Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel, we believe that patient experience is not just about satisfaction; it is about trust, empathy, and outcomes. Our vision is to treat every patient not just as a case, but as a guest who deserves dignity, clarity, and compassionate care at every stage of their journey. Our systematic approach to improving patient experience supports the organization’s customer-centered focus, and reinforces its values of outstanding service and integrity and help to expand relationships with our customers.
We recognize that there are challenges and differences between patient experience in medical tourism and usual (domestic) patient experience, those differences mainly revolve around expectations, context, and challenges related to travel, cultural differences, and service delivery. Challenges include access to care, cost, continuity of care, cultural and language barriers, quality and patient safety, patient expectations and experience design, legal protections and liability. Overcoming the challenges in medical travel, patient experience requires a well-planned, patient-centered strategy that integrates healthcare, hospitality, communication, and continuity of care. To overcome those challenges and aim to lead in medical travel, we have introduced several initiatives focused on a truly patient-centered approach, specifically tailored for Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel, among those are:
• Dedicated Patient Experience Department
To gather real-time feedback, oversee service recovery, and implement cross-functional training.
• International Patient Services Program
To provide multilingual care and tailored discharge planning and ensure cultural comfort, logistical ease, and medical continuity.
• Real-Time Feedback & Patient Experience survey Systems
Systems that allow patients to share their experiences at different stages of care. This includes post-consultation SMS surveys, inpatient feedback, and direct communication channels.
• Patient Advisory
We involve patients and their families in improvement initiatives. Their perspectives guide us in shaping our medical travel services.
• Staff Training in Empathy and Communication
All frontline staff, from nurses to receptionists, undergo continuous training on empathy, cultural competence, and effective communication. We measure not only clinical outcomes but also the warmth of human interaction.
As part of our commitment to professional development, key members of our team have completed the Advanced Certified Medical Travel Professional (CMTP) course offered by GHA. This training has been instrumental in deepening their understanding of the unique needs of international patients and has helped elevate the quality and cultural sensitivity of the services we provide. It has also contributed significantly to our efforts in aligning operational excellence with global patient experience best practices.
• Digital Patient Portals
Secure digital platforms are available for patients to access their health records, schedule appointments, receive test results, and message their care team. That enhances transparency and empowerment.
• Measuring success
To measure success, we rely on both quantitative and qualitative metrics that include patients experience surveys specifically designed for medical travelers, complaint-to-resolution time, online reviews and reputation analytics and the very important word of mouth and patients’ compliments. To give it credibility, our patient experience survey results are benchmarked with national and international benchmarks.
5. Integrating Technology in Healthcare: How is Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel incorporating cutting-edge technologies to improve access to healthcare and promote quality and safety for patients?
Technology is a central pillar in our mission to deliver exceptional, accessible, and safe care at Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel. We’re not just adopting technology for the sake of innovation, we’re using it to solve real challenges, elevate clinical outcomes, and create seamless experience for both domestic and international patients. In fact, the hospital as a member of DHC is undergoing a major digital transformation. Here are some of the key ways we’re integrating technology to enhance access, quality, and safety:
• Digital Health Ecosystem & Telemedicine
We have a comprehensive digital health platform that includes among many functions, mobile application, Virtual consultations for remote diagnosis and follow-up and Online appointment booking. Telemedicine allows us to reach patients in remote regions, provide timely second opinions, and maintain continuity of care post-discharge, especially for our medical travel patients.
• Electronic Health Records (EHR) with Real-Time Data Sharing
Our integrated EHR system ensures instant access to patient history across departments, reduced duplication and medical errors, and faster, more informed clinical decisions. All care teams, throughout the journey from diagnostics to surgery, operate on the same patient record, improving coordination and accountability.
• Diagnostics and Imaging
We invest heavily in utilizing the latest digital technology in radiology, pathology and lab automation. This improves diagnostic accuracy, reduces turnaround times, and supports early intervention.
• Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery
We are investing in robot-assisted surgery and advanced laparoscopic systems, which reduce recovery time, minimize infection risk, and enhance surgical precision. This is of major importance for international patients seeking high-end, low-risk interventions.
• Wearables and Remote Monitoring
We’ve introduced wearable devices for certain high-risk patients (e.g., cardiac, diabetic), enabling home monitoring of vital signs, proactive interventions by care teams and enhanced long-term disease management.
In summary, our digitalization and technology strategy are not about gadgets, it’s about enabling clinicians, empowering patients, and making care safer, faster, and more personalized. We are building a digitally enabled hospital that reflects the future of global healthcare.
6. Establishing Centers of Excellence: The hospital aims to be recognized as a Center of Excellence in various subspecialties. Can you discuss the specialties you are focusing on and the steps being taken to achieve this distinction?
At Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel, our vision is to be more than just a hospital—we aim to be a destination for world-class, highly specialized care. Establishing Centers of Excellence is a cornerstone of this strategy, both to serve the needs of our domestic population and to attract international patients seeking advanced treatment in a trusted, accredited environment.
Although in our medical travel program we concentrated on IVF, Orthopedics and sport medicine but in fact to ensure complete care, we provide very high-quality comprehensive healthcare through our specialized and sub-specialized medical and surgical centers in addition to the twelve, internationally recognized, centers of surgical excellence.
Our comprehensive centers include Cardiology with all invasive and noninvasive services including Cath lab procedures to treat structural heart disease problems like TAVI and TAVR for aortic valve diseases as an example, Internal medicine, Family medicine, General surgery and Pediatric surgery with all its subspecialties, Gastroenterology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Hematology, Oncology, Orthopedics with all its subspecialties, Pediatric orthopedics, Rheumatology, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Assisted reproduction and IVF, Urology, Nephrology, ENT, Ophthalmology, Spine surgery, Metabolic and Bariatric surgery and Bariatric medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes, Vascular Surgery, Pulmonology and Sleep medicine, Pain medicine, Imaging guided Musculo-skeletal therapy, Dental surgery, Dermatology, Cosmetics and Plastic surgery, immunology and allergy and audio vestibular rehabilitation. Each one of those centers contains multiple subspecialties within the major specialty complementing each other to provide comprehensive services for all age groups under one roof.
The Dallah hospital Al Nakheel emergency department has one of the biggest emergencies departments in the private sector and it encompasses specialized Adult, Pediatric, Obstetrics and Gynecology departments.
The twelve internationally recognized surgical centers of excellence include Breast treatment, Colorectal surgery, Endoscopy, ENT, Hernia surgery, Specialized anesthesia for obesity, Joint replacement, Metabolic and Bariatric surgery, minimally invasive surgery, Orthopedic surgery, Kidney stones management and Urological surgery. We have invested a lot to achieve the center of excellence recognition that includes:
- Multidisciplinary Team Development
- Adoption of International Clinical Guideline
- Technology and Infrastructure Investment
- Accreditation and Quality Measurement
- Outcome Tracking and analysis
- Patient-Centered Design
Ultimately, these Centers of Excellence will not only raise the standard of care across Saudi Arabia—they position Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel as a regional and global leader in specialized medicine. It’s about setting new standards of excellence that our patients can rely on, at home and from abroad.
7. Future Vision: Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel's role in the regional and international healthcare landscape, particularly concerning medical travel and patient care?
Looking ahead, our vision for Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel is bold, clear, and deeply rooted in our commitment to clinical excellence and global leadership. We aspire to position the hospital not only as one of Saudi Arabia’s premier healthcare institutions, but as a recognized international destination for high-quality, patient-centered medical care. Our ambitions span three major dimensions:
• Becoming a Regional Hub for Medical Travel
We see Dallah Hospital as a leading medical travel destination in the Middle East, attracting patients from across the GCC, Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world. Through our Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) and the continued expansion of international patient services, we plan to further expand our centers of excellence.
• Driving Innovation in Digital and Personalized Healthcare
We see technology not just as a support tool but as a strategic differentiator. We will invest more in AI-assisted clinical decision-making, remote patient monitoring and telehealth for follow-up care, and Smart hospital systems for improved efficiency and patient safety. Ultimately, our goal is to redefine what excellence looks like in the region, through compassion, innovation, and global connectivity. We don’t just want to treat illness; we want to elevate human health and become a model of what modern, culturally attuned, and internationally recognized healthcare can be. In this vision, Dallah Hospital Al Nakheel becomes not just a provider—but a partner in global wellness, setting new standards and shaping the future of healthcare in Saudi Arabia and beyond.”
