HEALTH CARE SECTOR TRADE MISSION TO THE MIDDLE EAST

• Take advantage of the World Trade Centre Montréal’s specialized contacts to open doors to influential business people who are hard to reach.
• Individually meet with main buyers in the hospital milieu, as well as potential partners such as distributors or agents.
• Network with the Middle East’s medical authorities who can support your business development.
• Learn about industry trends through interactive presentations and tours.

The mission will go to three of the most dynamic cities in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region:

• Dubai, United Arab Emirates (2 days)
• Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (2 days)
• Doha, Qatar (2 days)

The health sector is undergoing very rapid growth within the GCC countries. In fact, in 2009, close to $14 billion US was invested in the Gulf countries for the construction of new hospitals and other health-care establishments. In addition, experts predict that the demand for health-care services in the Middle East and in North Africa will increase by 240% over the course of the next few years, namely because of medical tourism.

A brief look at the health-care sector in the United Arab Emirates:

• In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), some one hundred hospitals plan to open over the next few years.
• Total investments in the health-care sector should represent $11.9 billion US in 2015, increasing from the $3.2 billion US invested in 2005.
• Medical tourism will triple over the next 3 years. It will greatly contribute to the growth of the health-care sector. The UAE have in fact established institutions such as Dubai Healthcare City to draw more medical tourists to the region.
• Before 2050, the UAE will need 15,698 new beds and 31,396 additional nurses.
• In Dubai, several major hospital projects are already underway, valued at $596 billion US. Notably, the emirate has made massive investments in special care units for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and cancer in the last few years.
• The health-care sector in the emirate of Abu Dhabi is, for its part, undergoing a transformation. The General Authority of health-care services was recently re-formed as two distinct entities to further increase its efficiency: Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) is responsible for managing public health-care centres, while the Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD) is the regulatory body for the public and private sectors.
• Abu Dhabi has also made progress in the area of health-care IT. The implementation of electronic management of hospitals is planned during the next three years.

A brief look at the health-care sector in Doha, Qatar:

• The population is undergoing rapid growth in Qatar and is putting great stress on the health-care system. $2.53 billion US in funding was budgeted for social services and health-care in 2008-09, a considerable increase compared to $1.32 billion US the previous year.
• Public health-care establishments managed by the governmental organization Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), which manages the majority of institutions in the health-care sector, are operating at almost full capacity, and expansion plans are in the works. For example, the Hamad Medical City Complex will include a 200-bed hospital, whose construction is estimated to cost $1 billion US.
• The HMC, the Health Minister, and the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR) will jointly implement a health-care programme that will improve networking between all health-care organizations, both public and private.

All companies offering value added products and services to the hospital milieu are invited to take part in this mission:

• Manufacturers of medical equipment and products
• Laboratory and diagnostic products
• Management systems (information, personnel, pay, inventory, etc.)
• Construction material for hospitals and clinics
• Service providers for the health-care milieu