GCC on the brink of unprecedented healthcare investments - technology key (page 1 of 2)

An estimated $10bn worth of healthcare projects are planned or currently underway in the GCC, and the Middle East health care sector is expected to be worth $60bn by 2025 as the need for investment in facilities and services continues to escalate.

Greg White, Cerner Middle East and Africa's Vice President and Managing Director, spoke to AMEinfo.com about the advancement of medical services in the Gulf, owing to a surge of investment, and the integral role of cutting-edge technologies.

"Due to the increase of new and advanced technologies in the health care sector as well as the support lent by authorities, it is expected that given time, the standards in GCC will match or even surpass those in developed countries of the world."

The UAE's IT sector spend from healthcare is expected to reach $4.7bn by 2013, according to figures from SciMark Technologies.

"The region is currently focusing on incorporating technology into its healthcare, which will ease the burden on health care workers," says White. "The outlook for health care technology in the region is promising and this is because of factors such as increasing population, rising income levels of residents, increased penetration of insurance etc."

Ageing population, lifestyle diseases usher in investment

Having tackled severe communicable diseases and those prevented by vaccinations, lifestyle-related illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems and obesity are ringing alarm bells in the Gulf. The UAE ranks second globally for prevalence of diabetes and over 40% of the population is obese.

While global markets have seen steep declines during this economic slowdown, GCC states are pumping investment into facilities required to meet the results of unbalanced diets and a sedentary lifestyle.

The GCC population could reach 57 million by 2015, and is relatively young with the vast majority under 29. The Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) estimates that this will change rapidly with the over-65 age bracket seeing the fastest growth rate over the next 10 years.

In addition, estimates from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the human lifespan has increased roughly 4 years in the past two decades, and the per capita health care costs for the elderly are notably higher.

As far as White is concerned, older patients need to have greater access and control over healthcare; just as the banking and travel industries have taken a lead in their respective sectors.

"For example, Cerner has a personal health record, Cerner Health, which allows users to access their medical records online and input data such as diet, exercise and other personal and lifestyle information. This will help the doctors better understand the lifestyle of their older patients, thereby delivering more efficient quality of care," he says.

These solutions can be implemented across an entire health system to both retrieve and disseminate information, meaning different departments can access and interact with a patient's Electronic Health Record (EHR) while using solutions unique to that department.

A closer look at GCC healthcare investments

Saudi Arabia has one of the largest and most developed markets for healthcare services in the region, allocating a $23bn budget in 2012, according to Deloitte's recent GCC Healthcare report.

The kingdom announced a $73bn budget for its ninth Five Year Plan (2010-2014), which pays for the construction of 121 hospitals, 700 primary healthcare centres and 400 emergency health facilities.