Dr. Omar Almodayfer, a consultant child psychiatrist and Chairman of the Human Development Company (HDC), shares a journey born out of need and driven by determination to better support vulnerable children.
As physicians, they hold a unique profession—one that bridges the cold clinical elements of modern medicine with the emotional realities of providing care in challenging circumstances. The most emotionally draining cases are those in which patients do not have access to the required interventions. This was the driving force behind Dr. Almodayfer’s story and how HDC came to be.
He began his career in 1999 as a consultant child psychiatrist in Riyadh. Like many child psychiatry clinics, over 50% of his patients had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, or intellectual disabilities. Such conditions typically require significant community or school-based interventions for children to achieve their full potential. Unfortunately, in many cases, these resources were not available.
Recognizing this gap, Dr. Almodayfer felt a calling to address it. He began mobilizing resources through various organizations and charities, leading to the opening of the first HDC center in 2007 as a non-profit rehabilitation facility. The name, Human Development, was chosen to convey a journey of continuous improvement for all and to destigmatize psychiatric conditions. The idea was so revolutionary at the time that they even struggled with the authorities to avoid writing ‘For Disabled Individuals’ on the center’s outdoor signage.
As demand for their services continued to grow, HDC adopted a commercial model to maximize its impact. However, to this day, they allocate a portion of their services and resources to support families with financial challenges.
One of the greatest challenges they faced was quality control and the measurement of outcomes. With no standardized methodologies and processes in place, the sector relied heavily on professionals doing their best, which is nearly impossible to measure.
Dr. Almodayfer soon realized there was an opportunity to leverage his experience as a physician to establish pathways for rehabilitation. This led to the development of REHADOX, a unique enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that oversees the rehabilitation process. The system, a key element to the scalability of their business, enables rehabilitation standardization, cloud-based management systems, and online staff training.
To further support students with their progress, HDC established several joint venture partnerships with various private mainstream schools. Their most successful initiative—and one that Dr. Almodayfer is particularly proud of—is their regulating ADHD schooling program.
In 2014, the sector received significant support from the leadership of Saudi Arabia, with the introduction of a fee payment program. This accelerated the momentum of their business, which now has more than 1,900 employees and 42 projects around the kingdom serving 5,500 clients daily. Their success would not have been possible without the support of the progressive leadership of K.S.A. and the U.A.E., who seek to develop an inclusive society for all people. As their journey continues, they are excited to work with their new partner and shareholder, AMANAT Holdings, who will support their geographic and service expansion.
Source: Human Development Company
