Public Health Authority of Saudi Arabia

What Public Health Authority of Saudi Arabia does

The Public Health Authority of Saudi Arabia (هيئة الصحة العامة, branded as Weqaya/وقاية) is a government regulatory authority established in 2021 through the transformation of the Saudi Center for Disease Prevention and Control under ministerial resolution, operating under the Saudi Ministry of Health with a board chaired by the Minister of Health and cross-ministerial representation. The Authority is mandated to protect and improve public health, prevent disease, manage health emergencies and pandemics, and promote healthy lifestyles in alignment with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 national health transformation agenda, and is led by Acting CEO Dr. Riyad bin Qainan Al-Ghamdi. It serves the general Saudi population, the millions of annual Hajj pilgrims requiring dedicated pre-, during-, and post-Hajj health services, workplace environments, healthcare laboratories seeking accreditation, and government agencies and researchers requiring access to public health data.

The Authority's product surface is built around a bilingual Arabic/English government portal ecosystem anchored at pha.gov.sa, encompassing the Health Portal (with travel risk assessments, an age calculator, risk factor tracking, and Hajj guidelines), the Open Data Platform publishing government health datasets and dashboards, the Scientific Library housing evidence-based guidelines and reports, and laboratory accreditation services for healthcare facilities including an online request workflow. Underlying capabilities include integrated surveillance systems for monitoring public health threats, evidence-based guidelines and procedures for disease prevention and health promotion, public health laboratory services with accreditation functions, and scientific reporting. The Authority operates the first Public Health Academy in the Middle East and has launched programs including the National Biobank, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the Healthy Settings program, and field epidemiology training (PHEP-MERS).

The Authority is funded through the Saudi government budget rather than commercial pricing, does not publicly disclose financial figures, and distributes services exclusively through direct government channels, including coordination with the Ministry of Health's 937 service center and the Sehhaty mobile application for citizen delivery. Its competitive position is anchored in statutory regulatory authority, monopoly access to national public health data, and international recognition as a WHO Regional Collaborating Center across Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyle, and Workforce Development for the Eastern Mediterranean region, with a stated strategic focus on artificial intelligence in public health.

Name

Public Health Authority of Saudi Arabia

Legal name

Public Health Authority (هيئة الصحة العامة)

Website

https://pha.gov.sa

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Public Health Authority of Saudi Arabia (Weqaya) is a government authority under the Ministry of Health, established in 2021 to protect public health and manage emergencies. It serves Saudi residents, Hajj pilgrims, laboratories, and researchers via a bilingual portal ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Public Health Authority of Saudi Arabia (Weqaya) is a government regulatory authority that protects and improves public health through integrated disease surveillance, evidence-based guidelines and procedures, public health laboratory services and accreditation, health security management, scientific research and reporting, and population-wide health awareness campaigns — including dedicated pre-, during-, and post-Hajj health services for pilgrims. Operating under Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health, it provides services via a bilingual (Arabic/English) portal, an open data platform, and a scientific library aligned with Vision 2030 objectives.

Product overview

The Public Health Authority of Saudi Arabia operates a bilingual government portal ecosystem centered on its core website (www.pha.gov.sa) with Arabic and English interfaces. The primary offerings include the Health Portal (بوابة الصحة العامة) providing travel risk assessments, age calculators, healthy living guidance, and comprehensive Hajj health guidelines; the Open Data Platform for publishing government health data; and the Scientific Library containing reports on non-communicable diseases, healthy lifestyle, behavioral sciences, and health economics. Supporting services include laboratory accreditation management, guidelines and procedures documentation, and various health awareness campaigns covering diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, nutrition, physical activity, and smoking. The Authority's transformation from the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control in 2021 reflects its expanded mandate under Vision 2030.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sehhaty App (تطبيق صحتي): Official Ministry of Health application for health services and information access

Products and services

• Public Health Authority Portal Official bilingual (Arabic/English) government portal of the Public Health Authority providing access to public health services, information, guidelines, and resources aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. Designed for citizens, residents, pilgrims, laboratories, government agencies, and researchers.
• Health Portal (بوابة الصحة العامة) Comprehensive health information portal offering travel risk assessments, age/life expectancy calculator, risk factor and disease information, healthy living guidance, and Hajj seasonal health guidelines for the general public.
• Open Data Platform (البيانات المفتوحة) Platform enabling publication and public access to health data collected from various government agencies, including reports, statistics, and dashboards, supporting community participation, research, and innovation in public health.
• Hajj Health Guidelines Service (Pre-, During-, and Post-Hajj) Comprehensive health guidelines and seasonal health services for Hajj pilgrims covering COVID-19 prevention, respiratory infections, seasonal influenza, heat stress, food poisoning, personal hygiene, sacrifice safety, barber guidelines, and post-Hajj health promotion.
• Laboratory Accreditation Service Service for healthcare and public health laboratories to apply for Public Health Authority accreditation, submit quality compliance documentation, and be included in the published list of accredited laboratories. Includes an online accreditation request form capturing institution information, contact details, and quality compliance data.
• Evidence-Based Guidelines & Procedures (الأدلة الإجرائية) Repository of evidence-based guidelines and procedural frameworks covering healthy and safe office work environments and other public health procedures for use by government, workplaces, and the public.
• Scientific Library (المحتوى العلمي) Repository of scientific reports and research publications covering non-communicable diseases, healthy lifestyle, behavioral sciences, health economics, policies, and guidelines, accessible to researchers, policymakers, and the public.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• World Health Organization (WHO) - Regional Collaborating Center for NutritioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021WHO designated the Public Health Authority as a regional collaborating center for nutrition in the Eastern Mediterranean region, recognizing its expertise in public health nutrition matters.
• World Health Organization (WHO) - Regional Collaborating Center for Healthy LifestylecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021WHO designated the Public Health Authority as a regional collaborating center for promoting healthy lifestyles, supporting the authority's role in health promotion across the region.
• World Health Organization (WHO) - Workforce Development Collaborating CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021WHO accredited the Public Health Authority's Academy as a collaborating center for public health workforce development, supporting training and capacity building initiatives.
• Ministry of HealthcoreOthersThe Public Health Authority works closely with the Ministry of Health on various public health initiatives including Hajj health services, disease prevention programs, and health awareness campaigns. The 937 service center provides integrated health services.

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The U.S. CDC is the closest international counterpart — a national public health authority responsible for disease prevention, surveillance, laboratory science, and workforce development. PHA's predecessor entity (Saudi Center for Disease Prevention and Control) was modeled directly on the CDC, making it the most relevant institutional peer.
• Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA): KDCA is a national authority focused on infectious disease control, surveillance, laboratory science, and public health workforce development. Its digital health data infrastructure and pandemic response role make it a structurally close counterpart to PHA.
• Robert Koch Institute (Germany): Germany's central federal public health institute conducts disease surveillance, epidemiological research, laboratory diagnostics, and public health reporting — a structurally similar scientific and surveillance authority to PHA.
• Public Health Agency of Canada: Canada's national public health agency delivers disease prevention, emergency preparedness, laboratory services, and health promotion — paralleling PHA's mandate around integrated surveillance, health security, and population-level health improvement.
• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA): UKHSA is the UK government's dedicated health-security and public-health protection agency covering infectious diseases, surveillance, laboratory services, and health protection operations — functionally aligned with PHA's disease prevention and health security remit.

Broad incumbents

• UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention: The UAE's federal health authority oversees national public health, disease prevention, and health regulations — a comparable Gulf-region national health authority with overlapping scope in population health and health security.
• WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO): EMRO is the WHO regional body coordinating public health across the Eastern Mediterranean — the same region where PHA holds three WHO collaborating-center designations. It is a key partner and broader institutional incumbent in PHA's regional public health remit.
• Saudi Ministry of Health: The Ministry of Health is PHA's parent department and the broader Saudi public health authority running healthcare delivery through the 937 service and Sehhaty app — the most directly comparable Saudi incumbent operating adjacent functions.

Others

• Centers for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP): CIDRAP is a research and policy center focused on infectious disease and public health preparedness — adjacent to PHA's evidence-based guidelines, scientific library, and outbreak-response remit rather than a direct operational competitor.

Regional players

• National Health Authority (India) / National Health Mission: India's national health programs and public health authority run large-scale disease prevention, immunization, and health awareness campaigns across a vastly larger population — a comparable (regional) mandate in scope and citizen-facing health communication.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saudipha

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Public Health Authority of Saudi Arabia