Healthcare Saudization in Saudi Arabia: Dental, Pharmacy and Other Professions

Healthcare Saudization in Saudi Arabia is not one rate. MHRSD, working with the Ministry of Health, has issued separate localization decisions for dentistry, pharmacy, and four allied health professions, each with its own percentage, salary floor and start date. This page puts them side by side.

What are the Saudization requirements for healthcare professions?

Six health groups have verified rates, from 35% in community pharmacies to 80% in therapeutic nutrition and physiotherapy.

The dental and pharmacy thresholds and salary floors come from MHRSD's announcements. The salary figures for the four allied professions come from Zawya and Gulf Business reports of the decision, and the Saudi Press Agency's announcement does not state them, so check the procedural guide before relying on them.

How does healthcare Saudization work in practice?

Each decision counts only the Saudis who meet its conditions. For dentists that means a salary of at least SAR 9,000 a month registered with the General Organization for Social Insurance, and valid accreditation from the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS). A Saudi who is employed but earns less, or lacks accreditation, does not count toward the rate.

The rate applies to the covered profession, not to the whole workforce. A hospital can pass its overall Nitaqat band and still fall short in its pharmacy. The two tests are separate, and the employer guide explains how they interact.

What changed in dentistry?

The dental rate rose from 45% to 55% on 27 January 2026. The 45% first phase began on 27 July 2025, together with the pharmacy decision. The 55% second phase applies to private establishments with three or more workers in dental specialties. See dental Saudization for the full record.

What are the pharmacy rates?

Pharmacy rates depend on where the pharmacist works: 35% for community pharmacies and medical complexes, 65% for hospital pharmacy activities and 55% for other pharmacy-related activities. They took effect on 27 July 2025 for establishments with five or more workers in pharmacy professions. Our pharmacy Saudization page explains the three settings and how to calculate the requirement.

What about radiology, laboratory, nutrition and physiotherapy?

Four allied health professions have the highest healthcare rates. Radiology is 65%, medical laboratory 70%, and therapeutic nutrition and physiotherapy are 80%.

The rollout had two phases. Phase 1 began on 17 April 2025 and covered private health facilities in Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, Dammam and Al-Khobar, plus large facilities in other regions. Phase 2 began on 17 October 2025 and extended the same rates to all private health facilities in the Kingdom. As of October 2026, both phases are in force.

Which health professions are not covered here?

This page covers only the decisions StrongYes has verified against MHRSD or the Saudi Press Agency. Doctors, nurses and other clinical roles are not part of the six groups above. That does not mean they are exempt from every rule, because other decisions and the company-wide Nitaqat system still apply. Check MHRSD's list of decisions for any role not listed here.

What should healthcare employers check now?

1. Map every clinical and pharmacy employee to the profession and setting each decision uses.
2. Check salary and accreditation for each Saudi you count: SAR 9,000 and SCFHS for dentists, SAR 7,000 for pharmacy, and the figures for allied professions in the guide.
3. Model each rate separately, because a clinic can face dental, pharmacy and laboratory rules at once.
4. Review Qiwa records so that salaries and occupations are recorded correctly. Our guide to Qiwa contracts and Saudization explains why this matters.
5. Use support programs. MHRSD points employers to recruitment, training and employment support, with funding through Hadaf. See Saudization support programs.

What does it mean for Saudi health professionals?

Demand for accredited Saudi dentists, pharmacists, radiographers, laboratory specialists, nutritionists and physiotherapists is rising across the private sector. Employers need Saudis who hold SCFHS accreditation and can be employed at or above the salary floor. The rule raises demand, but it does not guarantee any individual a job.

What does it mean for expat health professionals?

The decisions cap the non-Saudi share of each covered profession. For example, a clinic with ten dentists covered by the 55% rate would need about six Saudis if the half-up rounding used in other MHRSD guides applies (5.5 rounds to 6), leaving up to four non-Saudis. Check the dental guide for the exact rounding rule. Our expat guide explains how to check whether a profession is affected.

How do the healthcare effective dates line up?

The decisions arrived in four steps between April 2025 and January 2026, and all of them are now in force.

What does a multi-service clinic need? A worked example

Take a private medical complex with a community pharmacy, a dental clinic and an imaging department. It faces three separate calculations, not one.

The figures are illustrations. They assume the half-up rounding used in other MHRSD guides, which we have not confirmed for each healthcare guide. They also assume that every Saudi counted meets the salary and accreditation conditions for that unit, which is the harder part: SAR 7,000 for the pharmacy, SAR 9,000 for dentists and the allied health floors reported for radiology. For the pay rules side by side, see Saudization salary thresholds by profession.