22 February 2023 by Mat Oram
Once again, we had a brilliant time at the annual Arab Health Exhibition and Congress in Dubai. Arab Health is known for being one of the largest healthcare events in the Middle East, and as we boarded our flights from London Heathrow, we couldn’t hide our excitement in anticipation of being back on the conference floor alongside friends, healthcare professionals and industry experts from around the world.
While the NHS is often criticised for falling behind the consumer world when it comes to digital adoption, those of us who work in the industry know how significant the evolution of health and care promises to be, particularly in the wake the COVID-19 pandemic, which showed us how quickly innovation can accelerate across the sector. As such, we were keen to learn more about the latest advancements in medical technology, equipment and services, which may come to define the provision of health and care for years to come.
As you might expect, the event programme covered a wide range of subject areas – from medical devices to hospital management and healthcare policy – with a series of educational sessions, workshops and keynote speeches scheduled over course of the four days. Outside of the event itself, there was also a variety of networking opportunities, including business meetings, roundtable discussions, and social events.
We particularly enjoyed the Future Health Summit at the Museum of the Future, during which the keynote speakers advocated the need to drop outdated models of care to meet the expectations of younger generations. From our perspective, it is clear the future of healthcare lies in wearables and AI led decision making, plus more personalised care. And when an audience of 200+ people were asked which word they associate on having the greatest impact on the future of healthcare, two words really stood out: AI and data.
Arab Health is a major event in the global healthcare calendar, and it continues to grow in importance and relevance each year, reflective of the dynamic and rapidly developing healthcare sector in the Middle East. This year, the conference hosted more than 100,000 participants from all corners of the world, and team GB and Northern Ireland we out in force, with our event presence emphasised by a large ABHI stand.
Each evening, the atmosphere across the various networking events was palpable, including the events we attended, hosted by Hill Dickinson, Healthcare World and Clive Henry Group, to name but a few. We had conversations with Private Clinics, UAE Providers, AHSNs and NHS England; ironically, 90% of the conversations we had were with UK-based companies. There’s something about Arab Health presenting opportunities for conversations that don’t often happen in the UK – perhaps it’s the nice weather or being pulled away from the day job?
All in all, the most exciting topics of discussion were the increased use of AI and data in healthcare. As it happens, they’re the two words to describe AdviseInc. We are the future; we’re always looking for ways to bring more data into our applications and help #MakeSense of healthcare spend.
