Hyderabad, March 16 -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has announced a significant policy shift, temporarily allowing foreigners to own pharmacies - a reversal of the previous rule that restricted ownership to Saudi nationals.

According to the Arabic daily Okaz, an official directive has been issued permitting non-Saudis to own pharmacies and herbal preparation centres until a fully integrated health system is implemented.

This decision comes in response to a request from the Ministry of Health (MoH) and allows activities outlined in the related system issued on 1 June 1995 to be conducted on a temporary basis, without the requirement for the owner to hold Saudi citizenship.

Previously, Article 3 of that system stipulated that owners...