Health

A rise in population is slowly putting pressure on Bahrain’s public health care sector, which is the oldest in the GCC region, with the first modern hospital in the Gulf established in Bahrain in 1902. The health care sector in Bahrain has historically been heavily dependent on government-run facilities and public money, but moves in recent years have set in motion the growth of the private sector. With new legislation allowing for 100% foreign ownership of private health care facilities, coupled with the arrival of a national health insurance scheme, there is now a drive for more involvement by private sector players in the near future, which will further push the development of the sector.

This chapter contains an interview with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Health.