UAE healthcare industry is evolving, experts say

The UAE's healthcare industry has continued to evolve over the past few years, and today offers a range of new specialised services and treatments for residents, experts at Arab Health 2018 noted.
The 43rd edition of the event was inaugurated by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance on Monday morning, and will run until February 1, 2018. The event has witnessed the participation of more than 4,000 companies from over 150 countries, with exhibitors displaying a number of new and innovative products such as surgical robots, augmented reality systems, and artificial intelligence enabled scanners.
Healthcare is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world and is a key contributor to the UAE economy. Alpen Capital Consulting Services said that the UAE's healthcare market is expected to reach Dh71.5 billion in 2020 at an average annual growth rate of 12.7 per cent from 2015. The UAE is also world's fastest growing medical tourism hub, with total health expenditure allocation jumping from the current $23 billion to $28 billion by 2021. The country has seen a surge in new treatments and products, with several industry players exhibiting their new technology at the Arab Health exhibition.
RAK Hospital announced the launch of new and revolutionary stem cell therapy for the treatment of arthritis and other joint related issues. The treatment is introduced to exponentially reduce a person's need for surgery. Instead of having to replace a knee with an artificial implant, stem cell therapy in knee-joints can be used to re-grow new and healthy tissues that have been damaged or are degenerating. People who have encountered an injury to the knee or have chronic knee pain due to a past injury or arthritis are good candidates for knee stem cell therapy.
Dr Raza Siddiqui, CEO of Arabian Healthcare Group and executive director of RAK Hospital, said: "Doctors and scientists view the growth of stem cell treatments as very promising and the treatment of knee arthritis is especially popular in the US; we wanted people in the UAE to avail this sitting here at a cost far lesser than they would have paid otherwise. I believe, this is just the beginning and we hope that we will continue to further explore non-surgical options extensively."
HD Medical Inc also took the opportunity to debut and demonstrate HD Steth, a next generation smart stethoscope featuring an integrated EKG for instant and accurate cardiac diagnosis. For the first time, it is possible to simultaneously capture and visualize heart sounds and EKG waveforms for detecting structural, electrical, mechanical and ischemic cardiac abnormalities.
HD Steth transforms the way medicine is practiced at the point of care with real-time Bluetooth transmission of cardiac waveforms to a smart phone or tablet. Patient data can be transmitted via the cloud to cardiologists or other specialists for diagnosis, which can then be utilised to prescribe optimum treatment.
- rohma@khaleejtimes.com