Increased presence needed to meet regional growth, report big three

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Richard di Benedetto, president and CEO of GE Healthcare International.

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Maurice Faber, head of Siemens Healthcare, Near and Middle East.

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Philips notched up a record year in 2007, said CEO Walter van Kuijen.

Increasing regional presence, promoting transparency to clients and addressing the void in primary care are the pressing issues facing global companies active in the Middle East, according to three of the largest exhibitors at Arab Health Congress 2008.

Company representatives from Siemens, GE Healthcare and Philips Medical Systems agreed that the healthcare market looked set to continue to boom in the Gulf region.

Siemens announced an AED18 million contract with Bahrain Defence Force Hospital, to supply radiological equipment and an AED22 million deal with NMC Specialty Hospitals to supply the group with the Siemens Somatom Definition dual source CT system; Philips CEO Walter van Kuijen reported that 2007 was the company's most successful year ever in the region and Richard di Benedetto, president and CEO of GE Healthcare International, EAGM region, said that achieving 20% growth in Middle East was no longer a marker of achievement, but a baseline for the market.

Maurice Faber, head of Siemens Healthcare, Near and Middle East, said it was increasingly vital to have a solid technical presence in the GCC.

"It is important that we have the right resources on the ground to support the client in finding the right solutions". Faber said. "With medical insurance approaching, the governments here are looking for more transparency and it is important for clients to be able to achieve and present this in their business practices."

Philip's van Kuijen emphasised the importance of companies combining to address primary care needs. "We have particularly seen a lot of business develop by means of partnerships," he said.

"In the next year or so you will see much more activity from Philips from outside the classical hospital domain and in other parts of society."

GE Healthcare's president agreed that collaborative ventures and increased numbers on the ground would characterise 2008's healthcare activity in the region.

"We really want to leverage all the resources of GE to drive public/private partnerships here," Richard di Benedetto said. "We want to drive our healthcare vision, but also to localise our capabilities."

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