The healthcare system in GCC territories has become a growing concern in recent years.
Beyond problems such as a growing population and a higher average lifespan, countries’ such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have become host to some of the highest rates of chronic lifestyle diseases in the world. In the UAE, diabetes affects 19% of the population, which is twice the global average, and other non-communicable conditions such as obesity are at an all-time high.
However, these figures have not gone unnoticed; within the GCC, cases such as Bahrain based Investcorp acquiring a “30 to 40%” stake in Al Borg Medical Laboratories, Saudi Arabia’s largest private laboratory chain, are becoming increasingly common. Beyond this, the private equity fund has also set a precedent in high profile investment, setting aside upwards of $1 billion to fund future healthcare technology ventures within the Arabian Gulf region, aiming to tackle chronic lifestyle diseases.
Investors are consistently turning their attention to the US marketplace, where technologies are consistently breaking barriers and changing the way healthcare is operationalised. Companies such as Nvidia, a computer software developer, are using AI to revolutionise the ways epigenetics can be studied within the human body; taking incredibly complex computer programming to predict the way human genetics react to outside influences.
Healthcare facilities in cities such as Dubai have also started to invest heavily in cutting edge technologies, contributing to the bid to become serious competition to world class facilities in the US. Technologies such as 3D printing are a fantastic example of the kinds of new technology and technique that are being utilised in a bid to take on the kind of knowledge based economies currently dominated by foreign economies.
Investing in this kind of technology is a strong move for Middle Eastern investors, as it diversifies portfolios away from oil and gas, and into not only technology and healthcare, but knowledge economies. By being the first to take the leading US technologies such as 3D printing, or artificial pancreatic treatment, they claim a huge step in moving the GCC healthcare sector forward. These types of projects are incredibly lucrative, and therefore, accessing the opportunity to participate is highly coveted.
However, identifying a venture and an appropriate investor is no simple task. Even when the technology is right, and an investor is willing, relationships within the healthcare economy are still absolutely key to creating a successful venture. Naseba has the insight, and the connections, to make those relationships possible.
On February 21st-22nd 2017 Naseba will be conducting a two-day healthcare investment meeting, taking place in both Dubai, UAE, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, introducing pre-screened investors to pre-qualified investment opportunities from around the world. Committed to assisting in the identification of both regional and national investors, Naseba is ready to create the perfect investment platform for healthcare in the Middle East.
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To learn more, contact:
Alex Baine
Project Lead
Naseba investor introduction
alexbnaseba.com
+971 4 455 7954
