ANALYSIS / MEDICAL MEETINGS Below: Oman Medical City
Ongoing developments in Qatar and Oman are a sign of confidence in the region and its long-term stability
_ Alexandre Lolliot, General Manager, CSI
NEW FACILITIES FACT FILE Top 10 GCC healthcare infrastructure projects
Project Name
Sidra Medical & Research Center Razi Hospital
Ibn Sina Hospital Al Jahraa Hospital Cleveland Clinic
Jaber Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah Hospital Oman Medical City New Mafraq Hospital Al Ain Hospital Al Adan Hospital
Country Qatar
Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait
Abu Dhabi Kuwait Oman
Abu Dhabi Al Ain Kuwait
Source: Zawya Project Monitor Master Project
Value (US$m) Number of beds 2,300 1,200 1,100 1,100 1,300 1,200 1,000 800 708 650
412 500 500 800 364
1,168 530 688 690
1,000 We haven’t reached calendar destination status
yet as there are no resident shows in Dubai or Abu Dhabi,” counters MCI’s John, but he also believes that this is simply a matter of time. “People do iden- tify with a signature event and we don’t have that yet, apart from Arab Health and DUPHAT exhibi- tions. To drive this forward we need more engage- ment within the medical community with enhanced dialogue at a regional and international level.” Sirk flags development across the GCC as a
potential means of significantly escalating interest as member countries pour money into the meetings and tourism infrastructure. “Competition is constantly growing and we have already seen huge strides made in Qatar as well as investment in new conference products in Oman. Saudi Arabia has been a sleeping giant until now, but hides enormous potential. Ulti- mately, the healthcare organisations see the whole of the Middle East as a market and an area for improving healthcare delivery and outcomes. The more destina- tions able to offer the full range of venues, skills and marketing, the bigger the potential size of the pie.” The peaks and troughs of demand cannot be
Above: Sidra Medical & Research Center, Qatar Below: Cleveland Clinic, Abu Dhabi
DESTINATION UAE
The UAE’s PCOs are fielding enquiries from both traditional markets such as Belgium, the UK, Switzerland and France as well as the US and Asia, but are also reporting new emerging market interest from South America – Brazil in particular.
According to Katrina Lance from DBI, 49 percent of current enquiries are generated from Europe, 27 percent from Asia Pacific and 24 percent from North America, due to the fact that the majority of medical associations are based in Europe or North America. “The increase in enquiries from Asia Pacific is mainly due to large corporate incentives. However, there is a large base of associations in Japan and Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore.”
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ignored, however. “We are entering a tough period again and, while 2011/12 was strong after a difficult 2010/11, indicators point towards a challenging 2013/14,” says Lolliot. Like Sirk, he urges the industry to look at the big-
ger picture and the emergence of the GCC countries. “Ongoing developments in Qatar and Oman are a sign of confidence in the region and its long-term stability. “Qatar will definitely be a strong contender in
years to come. As a new destination in the medical congress and meetings market, it is pitching strongly to secure high-profile events.” The benefits to the region, as a whole, of con-
tinued sector investment have the potential to unite GCC member countries under the common collabo- rative goal of positioning the Gulf as a leading light on the international congress and medical meetings circuit. A prescription for success in the making, the future of the region’s medical sector appears to have been given a clean bill of health.
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