GCC healthcare demand to surge 240%

HIGH DEMAND: Demand for healthcare is expected to rise by 240 percent over the next 20 years in the GCC. (Getty Images)

Demand for healthcare is expected to surge by 240 percent over the next 20 years in the GCC, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE expected to record the greatest demand.

Growth is expected to be sparked by dramatic increases in cardiovascular disease and diabetes-related ailments, Qatar daily The Peninsula reported on Sunday, citing a survey from global consultancy firm McKinsey.

The survey said that by 2025 demand for hospital beds will more than double in the region, requiring almost 162,000 beds.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar are expected to register the greatest percentage increase in demand.

Spending on the treatment of cardiovascular disease, which now accounts for 12 percent of the total, will double and grow at almost twice the overall rate of healthcare spending during the period, the survey found.

Despite substantial investments by the GCC governments in medical education over the past 25 years, healthcare systems are still struggling as governments are not equipped to manage healthcare providers.

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Posted by Julie Brown, Dubai, UAE on Monday 23 June 2008 at 14:30 UAE time


This report was released over a year ago. Arabianbusiness.com ran a story on it then. Are you so hard up for news, you're repeating it?

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