Gcc healthcare industry snapshot
Article written by Informa Exhibitions, Life Sciences
IntroductIon Healthcare construction projects are continuing across Gulf countries with a mixture of public, private and joint-venture initiatives. The aim is to address the needs of the patient, both local nationals and expatriates, and reduce the number of people who are going outside the region for medical treatment. With most states developing many new hospitals and clinics, the long-term aim is to promote medical tourism between Gulf States rather than overseas, and also to attract patients from around the world.
the cause for concern is that even though the standard of living in the Gcc region is very high, the healthcare infrastructure in the region is far below that of the developed economies’
thE currEnt hEALth SItuAtIon At present the MENA region spends 4.3% of its GDP on healthcare, which is in the vicinity of $66 billion or $315 per person. Comparative figures from 2009 show that the US, which spearheads the healthcare revolution, spends $913 per person. This disparity is compounded by the fact that with rising income and literacy levels in the MENA region, citizens are increasingly aspiring for greater quality in healthcare services. The average income level of the population in the MENA has increased to $8,187 in 2010 from $3,727 at the beginning of the decade, meaning that there is a higher disposable income chasing fewer quality goods. The MENA governments (and the GCC in
particular) account for a major portion of the total healthcare expenditure in the economy. The US government, used as the benchmark, bears less than 50% of the total healthcare costs
in the economy compared to 64% in the MENA and 70% in the GCC. The cause for concern is that even though the standard of living in the GCC region is very high, the healthcare infrastructure in the region is far below that of the developed economies. This anomaly has to be addressed. For instance, the ratio of hospital beds (per 10,000 people) and the number of physicians (per 10,000 people) in the MENA and the GCC are poor compared to that of US. In addition, over the last few decades in the
Middle East, enormous prosperity had bred a changing culture that leans more towards sedentary lifestyles and fast food diets. As a result, major health problems have rocketed in the UAE and the wider region. Non-communicable diseases (NCD’s)
– are increasing at an alarming rate. The epidemiology profile of the region includes high incidences of obesity, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, particularly Type-2. The latter has been the leading cause of cardiovascular disease, kidney failure and amputations. The complications caused by these diseases will further increase long-term burdening and already over-stretched healthcare system. The World Health Organisation determined that a third of adults in the UAE are obese, and one in five people live with diabetes. In 2007, the UAE ranked second
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