Transforming Healthcare in the GCC: $135 Billion in Investments and AI Driving the Industry Forward

Moderated by health innovation expert Dr. Jane Thomason, the panel “Navigating the Future of Healthcare in the GCC” took place during the MedTech Malta 2024 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre. The panel included Bjoern von Siemens, co-founder of CareSyntax and Surgical AI; Padam Kafle, Head of Innovation at Aster DM Healthcare; and Philippe Gerwill, digitalisation humanist and innovation leader. The discussion centred on the GCC’s rapid healthcare advancements driven by investments in digital health and emerging technologies, positioning the region as a global leader in healthcare transformation.

Thomason highlighted the region’s ambitious healthcare investments, noting that the World Economic Forum forecasts the GCC’s healthcare expenditure to reach $135 billion by 2027, with Saudi Arabia investing $50 billion in digital health.

“We’ve never seen a region so eager to take risks, invest in innovation, and create a different future,” Jane Thomason.

Data-Driven Surgery and Digital Health in the GCC

Bjoern von Siemens, Founder at Caresyntax, discussed the potential of AI and data to transform surgery, emphasising the size of the surgery sector, which sees over half a billion surgeries annually. He praised the UAE’s groundbreaking genomic sequencing project, positioning the region as a leader in digital health innovation.

AI and Patient-Centred Healthcare Systems

Padam Kafle shared how AI can improve patient care by reducing time spent on documentation, allowing doctors to focus more on patients. “We’re investing in AI to reduce the time spent on documentation, so clinicians can focus more on what truly matters: patient care,” he explained. He also introduced an AI-driven device that records doctor-patient conversations to save time on documentation.

Transforming Education and Healthcare Infrastructure in the GCC

Philippe Gerwill discussed Saudi Arabia’s $100 billion AI investment and the UAE’s efforts to build genomics expertise, including the launch of a new school in the UAE to train students in genomics and support the region’s healthcare initiatives. “Europe is too slow. There, they are doing things, and the right things,” Philippe remarked.

Following this engaging discussion, Jane asked the speakers to share their predictions for the future of healthcare in the GCC. Philippe emphasised the shift towards proactive health management, stating, “The future is really, going away from sick care, to health care.” which Padam agreed to. Bjorn then drew a powerful comparison, saying, “I gave a speech at Harvard University and I said oil is fueling the global economy. Now I would say data is fueling the global economy. And so I think because data is the new oil, then they’ve just opened up the next area of growth.’’

The GCC, or Gulf Cooperation Council, is a group of six countries in the Persian Gulf, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

This article is co-authored by Helena Schenda and Dijana Mijailovic.

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