Healthcare spending in Mena is expected to grow to $144 billion in 2020 with about $69 billion of this coming from the GCC countries, said the organisers of the Healthcare Summit GCC that opened in Dubai, UAE on December 6.

Eminent members of the Ministry of Health & Prevention in the UAE, Health Authority of Abu Dhabi and Saudi German Hospital Group inaugurated the fourth edition of the summit that concludes today (December 7).

“We put the focus on the healthcare sector for it is a vital pillar in societies that guarantees the development and well-being of the populations. We are proud that the summit was launched with key contributions of eminent members of the Ministry of Health & Prevention in UAE, Health Authority of Abu Dhabi and Saudi German Hospital Group,” said Ganesh Babu, director India & Middle East, IDE, organizer of the summit.

The event saw the attendance of 154 Healthcare experts from the GCC countries and global suppliers offering the latest products and services that match the needs of the upcoming healthcare/hospital projects.

Presentations, panel discussions and networking sessions were scheduled to talk about the best practices in planning and designing hospitals’ facilities. Besides, B2B meetings on day one brought together the involved suppliers and buyers allowing them to make secure deals.

According to the Healthcare and life care sciences report, GCC government mostly funds the health expenditure, with the public sector covering around 65–80 per cent of total health expenditure across GCC countries.

“GCC governments and the private sector have made substantial investments in the hospitals infrastructure during the past 25 years, which has had a direct effect on improving the healthcare offer and services in the region. This summit is the perfect opportunity for both sectors, public and private, to meet directly global providers with high quality products that meet the international standards,” added Babu.

The report predicts that the GCC countries are expected to see considerable growth in health care expenditure due to a change in the population mix toward an older population, a rise in chronic lifestyle diseases, growing medical tourism demand, and a move toward medical technology innovation.

The health sector is expected to see a demand-supply gap for beds, doctors and nurses across the GCC. This provides an opportunity for the private sector to make judicious investments addressing the health service capacity gaps that would help improve quality of care and access for the patient population in the region.

Global suppliers like Hi Tech, Janak international, Gypsemna, Micromil are showcasing modern and latest products in the categories of hospital beds and furniture, information management systems, sanitation, nurse call systems and energy management system, medical imaging equipment, tele medicine  and mobile applications among others. – TradeArabia News Service