Abstract: This research seeks to examine the qualifications of hospital managers in the Eastern Region in Saudi Arabia and to identify the skills and competencies needed by hospital managers. Also, the study attempted to ascertain whether the qualifications of the managers of the hospital affect the performance of the hospital or not. The researcher used the descriptive analytical approach with its quantitative dimension. They study was conducted on 20 hospital managers in 20 governmental hospitals in the Eastern Region in Saudi Arabia. The researcher collected data for this research using a self-administered questionnaire and a performance indicators card. The findings showed that approximately 50% of hospital managers did not receive formal training in health management prior to assuming the post of director of the hospital as their basic qualification in the bachelor was not in the field of health management. Also, the results showed that all the skills and competencies mentioned are important with varying degrees. The most important skills and competencies for managers were the personal or soft skills. The leadership, strategic planning, quality and process improvement skills were second in importance for hospital managers. Furthermore, the majority of the managers indicated that the qualifications of hospital managers affect the performance of the hospital. It is found that there is a positive correlation between the qualifications of the managers and performance of health services in government hospitals.

Key words: health care; performance; qualifications; governmental hospitals; the eastern region

        JEL codes: I0, I1