Dubai-UAE: MEED, a primary source of business intelligence for the Middle East, today announced the fifth edition of the annual Middle East Healthcare Projects Conference in Dubai will highlight investments worth more than AED36.70 billion (US$10 billion) planned or currently underway in the region.
Supported by Dubai Health AuthorityDubai Health Authority, Government of Dubai and the Ministry of Health, Sultanate of Oman, the event will be held from 12-13 December at The Westin Hotel in Dubai.
The two-day conference will commence with a panel discussion on the overview of the healthcare projects sector in the GCC region, including the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman. Saeed Al Shamsi, Director of Technical Affairs, Dubai Health AuthorityDubai Health Authority (DHADHA), will offer an address on Dubai’s plans to implement healthcare projects worth AED3.67 billion over the next year.
Diverse topics including key regulatory issues as well as the insurance sector, hospitals, healthcare infrastructure and healthcare PPP models will be taken up for discussion at the event that will bring together leading industry representatives.
Prof. Alan Dilani, Public Health Architect from the International Academy for Design and Health, will throw light on a salutogenic approach to the design of the physical environment and how it can in turn promote efficiency while bringing down costs in healthcare, a relevant topic in the Middle East.
The International Academy for Design and Health is a global, interdisciplinary knowledge community dedicated to the stimulation and application of research on the interaction between design, health, science and culture.
A recent MEED report highlighted a perceptible regional trend towards creating new hospitals rather than expanding existing facilities with the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia alone planning to build 100 new hospitals by 2015.
An outcome of this projection will see the region boasting some of the world’s most modern healthcare buildings, offering the latest technologies, the report said.
The per capita healthcare spending in the GCC countries is expected to grow faster than the global average, the report added.
According to a report from Alpen Capital, the GCC may need in excess of 25,000 additional beds by 2020 to address a growing demand.
The Healthcare Projects Conference 2010 is part of MEED’s comprehensive portfolio of large-scale summits and conferences that offer businesses unique one-to-one networking opportunities and facilitate the showcasing of solutions to key target groups and niche professionals.
Source : Zawya