With more pride and appreciation, we highly value the continuous royal care given to the medical sector by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, may God protect and take care of him, and the attention and support of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, may God protect him, which has kept the kingdom on par with advanced nations in terms of human development.
It can be said that the national health plan outlines the future direction for the development of the health sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain in the coming years, and the most prominent change that this plan will create is the implementation of a comprehensive and integrated system to ensure health, embodying the concept of comprehensive health coverage.

The plan focuses on several criteria, including quality in providing healthcare services, transparency, competitiveness, freedom of choice, justice, and sustainability to ensure that healthcare services are of high quality and safe. It aims to build a comprehensive healthcare system with a strong foundation in all aspects of medical, administrative, and financial management.

Many important organizations and initiatives operate under this project, including the Health and Insurance Information Systems Center "Hekma," which is responsible for monitoring and directing the healthcare system. In addition, the Health Insurance Fund "Shifa" was established to purchase healthcare services from providers, and a system for financial claims and insurance strategies for residents was also established.

This project includes a comprehensive self-management program for government healthcare institutions and is characterized by several advantages. The program aims to enhance the powers of hospital administrators and primary healthcare centers, as well as to increase competition between hospitals to raise the level of services for the benefit of the patient and to promote competitiveness within a single healthcare institution through incentives and performance monitoring to enhance productivity.

The work during the past year was focused on a number of strategic paths, including continuing efforts to confront the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also required attention in 2021. Thanks to God, the Bahrain team was able to limit the spread of the virus and its consequences by providing all vaccinations and continuing to operate healthcare facilities designated to contain the pandemic and benefit from accumulated expertise in the field, achieving high response rates from all citizens with plans to deal with the pandemic. The second path involved progress in administrative and financial system development projects and establishing institutional frameworks of health insurance on track.


Dr. Ibrahim Ali Al Nawakhda
The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Health