Will you cancel free privatization?.. The Minister of Finance answers to “Al-Youm”: We will buy the service and the citizen will not pay

‏The Minister of Finance, Mohammed Al-Jadaan, confirmed that the state continues to spend generously on the health and education sectors with allocations exceeding 460 billion riyals, stressing that the trend towards privatization does not mean the state abandoning free services, but rather shifting it from the role of “operator” of assets to “purchaser” of services to ensure the highest standards of quality and efficiency for citizens.

‏This came in response to a question from “Al-Youm” during the press conference accompanying the budget announcement. The State General Assembly for the fiscal year 2026.

‏He explained that the allocations allocated to health and education in the new budget exceed the barrier of 460 billion riyals, which reflects the highest priority that the leadership attaches to human health and developing its capabilities.

‏The Minister explained the state’s new economic philosophy in managing public facilities, indicating that allocating hospitals and educational centers does not mean the government’s withdrawal from funding, but rather a process of transferring assets to the private sector with the state’s commitment to allocating a budget.

‏ Al-Jadaan cited the experience of dialysis centers as a successful model for privatization, as they were previously managed directly by the Ministry of Health, while the service is now purchased from specialized operators, which led to a noticeable increase in the level of health care provided to patients and a decrease in the operational cost to the state at the same time.

‏ The Minister of Finance indicated that the state’s general budget included items Dedicated to financing contracts for the purchase of services from designated entities, stressing that this strategic shift aims to raise the efficiency of government spending and get rid of the burden of asset management, to focus more on monitoring the quality of outputs and services provided to beneficiaries.

‏Al-Jadaan distinguished between two types of allocation; The first relates to the sale of surplus assets that do not provide a direct service to the citizen and do not require a future budget, and the second, which is more important, relates to the allocation of basic services, which obliges the state to allocate continuous budgets to ensure that the service reaches every citizen without any financial compensation borne by the beneficiary.

‏ The minister concluded his speech by emphasizing that the financial balance in the 2026 budget carefully takes into account the alignment between ambitious allocation plans and the state’s established social commitment, to ensure that all economic reforms are ultimately in the interest of the citizen’s well-being and quality of life.

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