Saudi Arabia’s demand for advanced healthcare services is expected grow substantially over the next few years, turning the kingdom into one of the region’s most prolific medical technology adopters.

Among the factors driving demand are a growing and ageing population, an increase in ‘lifestyle diseases’ such as diabetes, and aggressive government spending on social and healthcare investments which are expected to account for around 19 per cent of the federal budget for the period 2010-2014.

Technological breakthroughs such as minimally-invasive surgical techniques to treat aneurysms have enabled previously bed-ridden patients to lead normal lives. IT solutions have also helped streamline hospital operations to maximise patient services.

The use of advanced technology to provide medical care requires knowledgeable users. There is a growing need to provide healthcare staff with quality training for them to properly operate various types of technologies.

In order to bridge the gap between technology and user competencies, CompuGroup Medical (CGM), a leading IT healthcare solutions provider in the Middle East and Turkey, has been developing training programmes to enhance the technological capabilities of Saudi healthcare staff.

In its latest training venture, CGM conducted a special training session on the use of its advanced health information system (HIS).

“Saudi Arabia is the biggest IT market in the Gulf, so the local healthcare sector is well-positioned to harness the potential of technology to optimise medical services in the kingdom. The best technologies, however, can only be effective if their full potential is harnessed,” said Thomas Reitmayr, VP-business development.

“This is why, aside from delivering cutting-edge-technologies, CGM also focuses on solid training so that healthcare staff know the full capabilities of the machines and equipment they handle and consequently deliver the best technology-enabled services possible to patients,” he said.

CompuGroup’s HIS supports the critical day-to-day activities of health and patient care organisations by combining computer medicine, information processing, resource planning, data communication, and clinical systems technologies.

It is designed to reduce costs associated with diagnoses and treatments, enhance access to medical information, and provide connectivity among various healthcare entities. - TradeArabia News Service