HARNESSING HEALTHTECH

Sherif Beshara, CEO of American Hospital Dubai and Group CEO of the Mohamed & Obaid Al Mulla Group, has been investing in Al and robotics to stand out in the U.A.E.'s competitive private healthcare sector. With plans for a care network in place, education could be the next game changer.

- CLAUDINE COLETTI

The U.A.E. has long been working to establish itself as a global hub for healthcare. Since the first hospital was opened in the emirates in the 1960s, the sector has grown exponentially. According to government statistics, there were 45 hospitals in the public sector and 98 in the private sector by 2017.

Data from a 2021 Dubai Healthcare Investment Guide indicates that by 2019, there were six public and 33 private hospitals in Dubai alone. Today, the healthcare sector is a competitive market, with hospitals and holding companies investing in technology and partnerships to offer local and international patients top-of-the-range care.

For the 254-bed American Hospital Dubai, based in the emirate's Healthcare City, this has meant capitalizing on medical technologies and education to establish itself as a key player. Having invested 25% of its total budget into technology in the last five years, the hospital reports that it saw its total net revenues grow 78% between 2017 and 2021. Since it was established in 1996, it has treated more than a million patients and performed over 150,000 surgeries.

The last two years have seen a swathe of tech-based announcements from the private healthcare provider. In January 2022, it partnered with Siemens Healthineers to give it access to the medical device company's latest diagnostic imaging and lab diagnostics equipment. Six months previously, in July 2021, the hospital launched a robotic surgery training hub and education academy onsite and at the College of Medicine at Sharjah University in partnership with Robotics Surgical Systems and British medtech company CMR Surgical.