‘UAE’s private sector a major driver of growth and investment in healthcare’

Arnaud Bauer

Dubai, UAE, 4 October 2018: Speaking at the Building Healthcare Conference, Arnaud Bauer, Managing Director, Dubai Advention, said that the private sector is the major driver of growth in investment in the healthcare sector in the Middle East. However, he said that the situation has given rise to other issues, such as an overcapacity in positions. “Today, the United Arab Emirates has a higher number of pediatricians and has a low number of cardiologists,” he said. Elaborating, he said that the imbalance and the lack of facilities in the United Arab Emirates have resulted in patients going abroad in search of treatment. “Approximately AED 600 million has been spent on treating patients abroad and the healthcare sector can avoid such a situation if there is proper regulation,” said Bauer.

Elaborating on the role of regulatory authorities, Bauer said, “Regulation acts as a framework to work with and will not be the end-solution to all our problems.” Making a call for alignment in the healthcare sector in the United Arab Emirates, he said, “Stakeholders must be on the same page and regulatory bodies must direct investments to where there is a demand.”