To find clinics and hospitals in Saudi Arabia, start with the Ministry of Health’s official tools to locate facilities by region, city and type. Then check the facility’s license, the practitioner’s registration and any accreditation, confirm with your insurer that the specific service and branch are covered, and book through the facility or the Sehhaty app before you go. If you need emergency help, do not search listings. Call 997 or 911, or go to the nearest emergency department.
This guide helps you find and compare healthcare facilities. It does not give medical advice, and it cannot tell you which treatment you need. For the wider search process, see our guide on how to find the best services near me in Saudi Arabia.
Understanding the Different Types of Healthcare Facilities
Names vary between providers, so check what a facility actually offers instead of relying on its name alone.
Clinics and Specialist Clinics
A clinic provides outpatient care, which means you visit, are seen and go home the same day. A general clinic handles a range of common concerns. A specialist clinic focuses on one field, such as dermatology or pediatrics. A polyclinic houses several specialties under one roof.
Hospitals and Hospital Departments
A hospital offers inpatient care, meaning overnight stays, along with an emergency department, surgery and many specialist departments. Hospitals also run outpatient clinics. According to the Ministry of Health, outpatient clinics and most departments in its hospitals work from Sunday to Thursday, 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM, with on-call coverage outside those hours for urgent cases and essential units such as emergency rooms.
Primary Healthcare Centers
Primary healthcare centers are usually the first point of care for common and ongoing health needs. The Ministry says primary healthcare centers are open from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, urgent care centers and extended-shift centers from 8:00 AM to midnight, and on-duty centers for 16 or 24 hours from 4:00 PM daily, except Fridays and Saturdays when they open from 8:00 AM. Hours for a given center can differ, so confirm before you travel.
Medical Centers and Diagnostic Facilities
Medical centers often combine several clinics. Diagnostic facilities provide laboratory tests and imaging. The Ministry’s map and related lists also cover rehabilitation services and mental health hospitals.
| Facility type | Typical use | Check before you go |
| Clinic or specialist clinic | Outpatient consultations | Specialty, doctor, appointment and insurance acceptance |
| Hospital | Emergency, inpatient and specialist care | The specific department, hours and referral rules |
| Primary healthcare center | First-level and ongoing care | Opening hours and how to book |
| Medical center or diagnostic facility | Several clinics, labs or imaging | The exact test or service, and whether it needs a referral |
Where to Find Clinics and Hospitals in Saudi Arabia?
Use official sources first, then add other tools to compare options.
Use the Official Ministry of Health Healthcare Map
The Ministry of Health’s interactive map shows the locations, working hours and days of hospitals and primary healthcare centers across the Kingdom. It lets you filter by region, city, type of facility or available services. To use it:
- Open the interactive map page.
- Choose your region and city.
- Filter by facility type, such as a hospital or primary healthcare center.
- Open a result to see its location, hours and days of operation.
- Use the Ministry’s linked lists if you need mental health hospitals, medical rehabilitation services or blood donation centers.
The page was last updated on 8 October 2026 when I checked it. Check whether a facility you want appears there, because the Ministry’s tools focus on healthcare facilities within its own system and private options may need another directory.
Explore the National Hospitals and Health Centers Directory
The Ministry also publishes directories for governmental hospitals, governmental health centers, medical centers and private health facilities. The medical centers directory lets you select a region to see the centers connected to it. If you are considering a private facility, check whether it appears in the Ministry’s private facilities directory. That is a useful cross-check, but it is not a measure of quality.
Other health bodies publish their own tools. For example, the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs offers a Find a Location service for clinics within its facilities.
Use Sehhaty for Supported Healthcare Services and Appointments
Sehhaty is the Ministry of Health’s unified app for individuals in the Kingdom. The Ministry merged its earlier apps into it, including Mawid, the central appointment system for primary healthcare centers, which also lets users book, cancel or reschedule appointments at referral hospitals. A later Ministry announcement describes searching for the nearest center that provides a required service, choosing a doctor and receiving a reminder by text message.
Features change and depend on the facility and your eligibility, so check what the app currently offers. Private facilities often use their own booking systems.
Check Facility Websites and Contact Details
An official website or phone line gives you the most reliable details on branches, departments and hours. Confirm the branch address, the department, the opening hours and the booking method. For government facilities, check that the website ends in gov.sa and uses HTTPS, as the Ministry explains on its pages.
Use General Search and Healthcare Directories Carefully
Google Maps shows address, hours, phone number and reviews for each result, according to Google Maps Help. It is a quick way to find nearby facilities. Ratings and reviews show patient experience of things like waiting times and staff. They do not show clinical quality. Third-party directories can be out of date, so cross-check any listing with the facility or an official source.
KnowKSA is one place to browse. Its Hospitals and Clinics categories list facilities by city, and the section on KnowKSA below explains how to use them.
How to Choose a Suitable Clinic or Hospital?
Confirm the Required Specialty or Service
Describe what you need in terms of a service, such as a pediatric clinic, an X-ray or an eye examination, and check that the facility provides it. A general practitioner or primary healthcare center can often help you decide which specialty to see. Do not choose a facility based on an online symptom search.
Check Facility Licensing and Relevant Credentials
Three different checks are often confused:
- Facility license: permission to operate as a healthcare facility.
- Practitioner registration: a professional’s registration to practice.
- Accreditation: an assessment of a facility against quality and patient safety standards.
Ask the facility about its license and confirm it with the relevant health authority. For private facilities, the Ministry’s directory above is one cross-check. Accreditation in Saudi Arabia is handled by the Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions (CBAHI). A Ministry of Health document describes CBAHI as the official agency authorized to grant accreditation certificates to governmental and private facilities and to set the standards they are evaluated against. Accreditation tells you a facility has been assessed. It does not guarantee the outcome of your own treatment.
Verify Practitioner Registration Where Relevant
The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) offers a service to verify a practitioner’s registration using the national ID number, Iqama number, passport number or SCFHS file number. The service page describes it as free and instant. You may need the practitioner’s details, so ask the facility. If you cannot use the online service, SCFHS lists a contact number on the same page.
Confirm Insurance Coverage and Potential Costs
No guide can confirm that your policy covers a specific service. Check with your insurer and the facility before planned treatment.
Insurance and cost checklist
- ☐ My policy is active and my membership details are correct
- ☐ The facility and the specific branch are in my insurer’s current network
- ☐ The service or specialty I need is covered
- ☐ I know whether pre-approval is needed
- ☐ I know my copayment, deductible and any annual limits
- ☐ I know whether a referral is needed
- ☐ I asked the facility to confirm my eligibility before the visit
- ☐ I know what I may pay out of pocket, and I have it in writing for planned care
Networks and terms change, so reconfirm each time.
Check Location, Accessibility and Operating Hours
Consider the distance, parking or transport, accessibility features and the time of day. Outpatient departments often close earlier than emergency departments, and hours differ between facilities. If you prefer English, ask whether English-speaking staff or interpreters are available.
Confirm Appointment and Referral Requirements
Some facilities take walk-ins and some require appointments. Specialist services may require a referral, depending on the facility and your insurance. Ask these questions when you book:
- Do I need an appointment, or can I walk in?
- Do I need a referral?
- What should I bring?
- Which branch and department should I go to?
An appointment slot is not the same as confirmed service availability, so reconfirm closer to the date.
How to Compare Healthcare Facilities?
Copy this table into a note and fill it in for each option.
| Factor | What to compare | Facility A | Facility B | Facility C |
| Type | Clinic, hospital, health center or diagnostic facility | |||
| Service | The specialty or test you need | |||
| Location and access | Distance, transport, parking, accessibility | |||
| Hours | Days and times for your department | |||
| Appointment | Booking method, referral rules | |||
| Insurance | Network, branch, coverage and copayment | |||
| License and accreditation | Facility license, CBAHI status, practitioner registration | |||
| Language | Arabic, English or interpreter support |
Do not treat reviews, ratings or advertising as proof that one facility is clinically better than another.
Finding Healthcare Facilities in Major Saudi Cities
Combine the facility type, your city and, where useful, a district. For urgent but non-life-threatening needs, the Ministry also publishes lists of on-duty healthcare centers by region.
Riyadh: The city is large and spread out, so a district name helps. Try “private hospitals in Riyadh” or “مستشفىات في الرياض.” See the Riyadh.
Jeddah: Search “clinics in Jeddah” or “عيادات في جدة,” and add a district. See the Jeddah.
Makkah and Madinah: Visitors and pilgrims often search from unfamiliar areas. Check the facility’s location against your accommodation, confirm hours, and ask about language support. See the pages for Makkah and Madinah.
Dammam and Al Khobar: The two cities sit close together, so check which one the facility is in. See the pages for Dammam and Al Khobar.
Availability, services and hours differ between facilities, so confirm by phone or through official channels.
What to Check Before Visiting a Clinic or Hospital?
Pre-visit checklist
- ☐ I confirmed the branch address and the department
- ☐ I confirmed the opening hours for my day of travel
- ☐ I have an appointment, or I know whether walk-ins are accepted
- ☐ I have my ID, insurance card and any referral letter
- ☐ I have previous reports, test results and a list of my medicines
- ☐ I know whether I must prepare in any way, and I asked the facility
- ☐ I confirmed my insurer covers the visit
- ☐ I know the expected payment and how to pay
- ☐ I know where to park or how to get there
- ☐ I asked about interpreter or language support if I need it
Also ask how the facility handles your personal health information and record access.
What to Do if You Need Urgent Medical Assistance?
Do not delay urgent care while you compare listings. For a medical emergency, call 997 for a Saudi Red Crescent ambulance or 911, the unified emergency number, or go to the nearest hospital emergency department.
The Saudi Red Crescent Authority says people can request an ambulance by calling 997 or by using its Asefne app, as reported by Ajel News. A security alert from the US Mission, reported by Gulf News, lists 911 as the unified emergency number and 997 as the ambulance number.
Urgent care centers handle problems that need prompt attention but are not life-threatening. If you are unsure, ask the emergency service. This guide does not provide medical advice.
How to Find Healthcare Facilities Through KnowKSA?
KnowKSA is a Saudi-focused local discovery and business listing platform. Its Hospitals category lets you filter by city and shows listings in several cities, and its Clinics category works the same way. Both can be viewed as a list or on a map, and each has an Arabic version. At the time of writing, the Hospitals category had listings in Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah, Hail and Arar, and the Clinics category had a small number of listings, so coverage is still growing.
Use KnowKSA for discovery only. A listing is not an endorsement, and it does not confirm a facility’s license, accreditation or insurance acceptance. Check those through the official sources above. You can also browse the full categories.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a clinic and a hospital?
A clinic provides outpatient care and does not usually admit patients overnight. A hospital offers inpatient care, emergency services and surgery, and also runs outpatient clinics.
How do I find a hospital near me in Saudi Arabia?
Use the Ministry of Health’s interactive map, then add Google Maps or a directory to compare options. Confirm the address and hours before you travel.
How do I find private hospitals in Riyadh?
Search “private hospitals in Riyadh,” check the Ministry’s private facilities directory, and confirm the license, accreditation and insurance details with the facility.
How do I find a clinic that accepts my insurance?
Ask your insurer for its current network and covered services. Then ask the clinic to confirm your eligibility for the specific service and branch.
How do I check if a facility is licensed?
Ask the facility for its license details and confirm them with the relevant health authority. The Ministry’s directories are a useful cross-check for private facilities.
How do I verify a doctor’s professional registration?
Use the SCFHS service for verifying a practitioner’s registration. You may need the practitioner’s ID details, so ask the facility.
Can I use Sehhaty as a resident or expatriate?
The Ministry describes Sehhaty as serving citizens and residents. Available services depend on your eligibility and the facility, so check the app.
How do I find English-speaking healthcare services?
Ask the facility directly about English-speaking staff or interpreters, and check that the doctor you want to see is available.
Does CBAHI accreditation guarantee a good outcome?
No. It shows that a facility has been assessed against quality and patient safety standards. It does not guarantee the result of your own care.
Do online appointment slots guarantee availability?
Not always. Reconfirm closer to the date, because schedules and availability change.
Final Checklist for Finding a Healthcare Facility
- ☐ I identified the type of facility and the service I need
- ☐ I searched the Ministry of Health’s tools first
- ☐ I compared at least two options in the table above
- ☐ I checked the facility’s license and accreditation status
- ☐ I verified the practitioner’s registration where relevant
- ☐ I confirmed insurance coverage for the specific service and branch
- ☐ I checked location, hours and access
- ☐ I confirmed the appointment and referral requirements
- ☐ I have my documents ready for the visit
- ☐ I know the emergency numbers and will not delay urgent care
Ready to start? Open KnowKSA, choose your city and browse the Hospitals and Clinics categories. Then confirm the details through the official sources before you visit.
