GE Healthcare, the $17 billion healthcare business of General Electric Company (GE), will hold its second annual regional media summit in Dubai.

The aim of this year’s Middle East Media Summit is to further assist in promoting healthcare knowledge across the region.

More than 50 delegates comprising leading medical professionals and media representatives will discuss key trends, opportunities and developments at an interactive forum on June 19.

GE’s “Healthcare Re-imagined” vision promotes the “Early Health” model of care – helping clinicians re-imagine new ways to predict, diagnose, inform and treat disease, so their patients can live their lives to the fullest.

This is the company’s focused response to the projected rise in healthcare costs in the GCC region from $12 billion today to a projected $60 billion by 2025, said a statement.

This year’s summit will address some of the key healthcare challenges facing the region, focusing on the shifting trends in healthcare delivery as it relates to the “Early Health” model of care. The summit will include presentations, case studies and debates on recent advances in healthcare in the region, specifically in the fields of cardiology, oncology, and IT, it said.

GE Healthcare, International - Eastern and African Growth Markets (EAGM) president and CEO Richard di Benedetto said: “Following the success of last year’s summit, which placed the spotlight on regional healthcare needs, this year’s collaborative initiative aims to further raise awareness about the importance of “Early Health”, leveraging an outstanding line-up of regional luminaries, who will share with us their health experiences and expertise.”

He added: “A key concern for this region is the rise in healthcare costs. Once again, this puts the spotlight on the need for an “Early Health” model of care. Shifting resources to the model and developing technologies that allow healthcare providers to diagnose disease at the earliest possible stage, when there can be many treatment options, is better medicine. It also makes economic sense.”

Developments in healthcare technology are being rapidly harnessed throughout the region to improve the general level of healthcare delivery. This is particularly relevant in addressing certain medical conditions that display a higher incidence regionally. Diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions, and obesity, stress and smoking-related illnesses are on the rise. This year’s Middle East Media Summit aims to address these issues and discuss the importance of earlier detection of diseases thereby helping to potentially reduce costs and enable many more treatment options, which ultimately benefits the patient, he said.- TradeArabia News Service