New Zealand's healthcare solutions highlighted at Arab Health 2009

With the aim of fortifying the presence of New Zealand healthcare companies in the Gulf and the UAE, New Zealand Trade Enterprise (NZTE), the New Zealand government's national economic development agency, hosted a seminar and reception at Arab Health 2009 to generate awareness of the country's healthcare capabilities.

Richard Laverty, Regional Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, NZTE, commented:

"With major initiatives and a fast evolving primary healthcare system, Dubai is poised to play an increasing role in the regional and global healthcare industry. This provides New Zealand companies with attractive new business opportunities. The total healthcare spending in the Gulf region is expected to reach US$ 80 billion by 2025 which makes this region a key market for New Zealand companies."

Maori doctor Shane Reti who is the International Program Director for the Division of Clinical Informatics at Harvard Medical School, facilitated the seminar. Dr Reti spoke about New Zealand's expertise in lean, efficient health system processes and health information technology during the New Zealand reception at Arab Health 2009.

He cited the example of Orion Health, a New Zealand company very active in the Middle East which was selected by the American Center of Disease Control (CDC) to develop electronic public health biosurveilance. Every 15 minutes from thousands of emergency rooms around the USA, data such as primary complaint and diagnosis are sent to the CDC. All the data consolidation and rendering is done using Orion's integration engine (Rhapsody). The information helps physicians and officials identify and analyse trends to detect early signs of an epidemic, widespread infections, or other potential health risks at a national scale.

Orion Health showcased its easy-to-use solutions and applications that improve patient care and clinical decision-making at Arab Health.

Other New Zealand companies at the event included Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, New Zealand's largest medical device company and a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a range of innovative healthcare devices which incorporate unique features to improve patient care. With nearly four decades of experience in the development of respiratory humidifier systems, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare offers a broad range of products and systems for use in critical care, the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea, neonatal humidification and operating rooms.

Mercer Medical demonstrated its sterilisation and infection control solutions. Another New Zealand company in the spotlight was Winscribe for its Digital Dictation and Workflow management software used by hospitals for faster handling of medical reports and prescriptions to generate accurate information.

"The presence at Arab Health has helped New Zealand companies to create more awareness of their products and services amongst health care professionals and suppliers in the region; and we look forward to a greater participation next year," added Laverty.