Healthcare demand to rise 240% in GCC over the next 20 years

In response to this spending increase, the total number of hospital beds is projected to rise from 68,250 in 2006 to 114,450 by 2015 and 161,750 by 2025. McKinsey & Co recently modeled disease trends in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries and projected these figures.

Dr. Cleaton-Jones is a Senior Health Specialist in the Health and Education Department of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, based in Washington, D.C. IFC fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by financing private sector investment, mobilizing private capital in local and international financial markets, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments.

Addressing the Media Summit's discussion on Healthcare in the Middle East: Challenges and Opportunities - Rising Demand for Healthcare, Dr. Cleaton-Jones said:

"High-income countries such as the UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia spend only 2.2 to 3.4% on healthcare. These spending levels will continue to rise as populations grow, people live longer, experience fewer infectious diseases and get more chronic diseases of old age and affluence such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer."

Numerous countries in the Middle East and North Africa region are exhibiting strong economic growth. While high-income examples such as the UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia are well-known, middle-income countries such as Oman, Jordan, Egypt, and Tunisia are also growing fast with annual economic growth of 5-7 per cent.

Dr. Cleaton-Jones added:

"While high oil prices are a big reason for capital flows into the region, several countries are making far-reaching economic reforms to improve their business climates and attract investors, thereby driving more sustainable economic growth in the region."

The World Bank's Doing Business report tracks the economic reforms for 178 countries. Last year, Egypt rose from 152-126 in the world, making it the world's top reformer, while Saudi Arabia rose from 33 to 23, and Tunisia went from 93 to 88. This is helping to increase intra-regional investment. IFC has helped to finance several investments from high-income countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE into lower-income countries such as Egypt and Yemen over the past 18 months.

At this year's media summit, over 40 delegates comprising leading medical experts and media representatives joined GE Healthcare to also discuss the evolving practice of medicine and patient care from treating symptomatic 'late-stage' disease to a focus on earlier pre-symptomatic disease detection and earlier, more effective treatment options. GE Healthcare invests $1bn annually in global research and development to bring to market innovative tools that can potentially help healthcare professionals diagnose disease at an earlier stage.

GE Healthcare International President and CEO - Eastern and Africa Growth Markets (EAGM), Richard di Benedetto delivered the keynote address focusing on the company's vision for the future of healthcare delivery. This year's summit aimed to address the challenges and emerging trends as well as help raise awareness about the "Early Health" model of care as it relates to the management of breast cancer and other disease trends impacting the Middle East region, such as the increased incidence of cardiac disease.

Healthcare experts participating at the summit included: Dr. Aly Abdel Razek, Director of the Center and fellow of the American College of Radiation, Abu Dhabi Cancer Treatment Center; Engr. Bandar Al Bahouth, Manager of PACS (Picture Archival Communication Systems), Security Forces Hospital; Dr. Majid I. Al Fayyadh, Director, Invasive Cardiology Lab Cath & Chairman, Electrophysiology Program, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Saudi Arabia; Mounir Kharma, Chairman, GlobeMed Ltd, Saudi Arabia; Dr. Mohamed Momtaz, Professor and Director of Fetal Medicine Unit, Kasr Al Aini Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt; Dr. Joel Nobel, Founder and President Emeritus, ECRI Institute; and Dr. Dorria Salem, Professor of Radiology at Cairo University and Radiology Consultant for the Ministry of Health and Director of the Screening Program in Egypt.