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Health

Health news, healthcare news and pharmaceuticals news from the Middle East. All the important stories, exclusive interviews, plus authoritative opinion and analysis

metabolic disease oura smart ring

‘Smart ring’ project aims to help fight chronic health problems

A wearable “health ring” is being used by a Dubai-based healthcare technology startup to help combat the Middle East region’s metabolic diseases crisis. The company, Metabolic – which brands itself as meta[bolic] – has signed a partnership with the Finnish maker of the Oura Ring, and aims to stem the billions lost in healthcare systems […]

A spa room in Clinique La Prairie's latest Longevity Hub in Dubai, it's fifth in the emirate Video length: 03:32

The Dubai spa charging AED90,000 to increase ‘healthspan’

Clinique La Prairie opened its fifth Longevity Hub-branded spa in Dubai last month and is preparing to open a $300 million health resort in Saudi Arabia’s Amaala giga-project next year.  The “medical spa” receives 60,000 clients each year from the Middle East to its luxury facility in Montreux, Switzerland for longevity and preventative medicine treatments. […]

The 450 companies operating at Dubai Science Park include AstraZeneca, and the free zone plans to add 200,000 sq ft of lab and office space

Dubai Science Park reveals expansion plans

Dubai’s biotechnology free zone is adding 60 percent more offices, laboratories and warehouses over the next few years to cater for an influx of new companies, its senior vice-president told AGBI.  Dubai Science Park, part of Dubai-listed Tecom Group, is planning an expansion of 200,000 sq ft of additional storage and logistics facilities at the […]

Tourists at Giza, Egypt. The government is targeting annual revenue of $11.5bn in medical tourism revenues alone

Wellness resort leads Egypt’s medical tourism push

Plans for Egypt’s first wellness resort have been revealed as experts forecast an increase in the number of medical visitors to the country. Maxim Group has signed an agreement with the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones to establish Naya Wellness Resort in Al-Saf, Giza. About $48 million is being invested in the resort, part […]

Unable to afford costly medicines, these Iraqi women buy traditional herbal remedies at a shop in Baghdad

Saudi deal ‘unlikely to cure Iraq’s pharma problems’

Iraq has turned to Saudi Arabia to help it improve its healthcare industry and increase pharmaceutical manufacturing. The ministries of health for both countries are collaborating to boost private healthcare in Iraq and foster partnerships to speed up the establishment of local pharmaceutical factories. However analysts say the impact of the partnership will be limited […]

Mubadala buys stake in Indian hospital chain 

The Abu Dhabi sovereign investor Mubadala Investment Company has invested in Manipal Health Enterprises (Manipal), India’s second-largest hospital chain by number of beds. “Given the ever-increasing demand for high-quality hospital care across India, we look forward to supporting Manipal’s growth journey in the years ahead,” said Camilla Macapili Languille, head of life sciences at Mubadala, according to the […]

Healthcare providers are struggling in a crowded market and facing rising costs a concerned doctor looks at a chart hospitals Dubai hospitals

Dubai hospitals are ailing in saturated healthcare market 

The general healthcare sector in Dubai is buckling under saturation, with weaker operators shutting down or battling financial woes, Dr Azad Moopen, the founder and chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, told AGBI. The healthcare sector in the emirate faces a challenging economic climate, marked by stubborn inflation, high interest rates and slow growth. The introduction […]

Quantum dot technology could be transformative for drones, robots and autonomous vehicles

Saudi startup’s infrared tech has ‘game-changing’ potential

A Saudi Arabian startup’s pioneering research will slash the cost of infrared sensors, enabling them to be used in a myriad of day-to-day applications and accelerating the development of fully autonomous vehicles, its founder told AGBI. Osman Bakr, founder and chairman of Quantum Solutions, is also head of the functional nanomaterials laboratory at Kaust (King […]

Adult, Female, Person Personalised precision medicine has the potential to transform treatment of chronic and genetic diseases scientist personalised healthcare lab science

Gulf embraces a personalised approach to healthcare

The Gulf is shifting towards a more personalised approach to healthcare, but the growth of the sector faces challenges in terms of talent and data management according to experts.  Traditional medicine tends to address only the initial health issues without tailoring solutions to the unique requirements of each patient, says Vadim Fedotov, CEO of Bioniq, […]

The Saudi fitness sector has growth potential as currently gym members make up only 3.7 percent of the population

Fitness brands shape up for Saudi expansion plans

GymNation, founded in Dubai, has revealed plans to open 50 new fitness centres in Saudi Arabia as it seeks to capitalise on the kingdom’s billion-dollar fitness industry. The mid-market brand was set up six years ago and currently operates 11 gyms in the emirate, with a further six set to open before the summer. Founder […]

The UAE's density of healthcare staff is higher than the rest of the GCC but still below global benchmarks

Training and tech to tackle healthcare staff shortage

Technology and training combined can aid the impending recruitment crisis in UAE healthcare, experts say. Globally there will be an estimated shortfall of 10 million workers in the industry by 2030, primarily in low and middle income countries, according to the World Economic Forum. The UAE has not been spared. Research from Colliers showed there […]

At its peak in 2018, Abu Dhabi's NMC was valued at £8.6 billion on the London Stock Exchange, with operations in 19 countries

Dubai mulling ratings for hospital performance, says Aster founder

Dubai is considering the introduction of performance ratings for healthcare providers, Dr Azad Moopen, the founder and chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, has told AGBI. The system would allow operators to adjust their insurance tariffs – the prices that insurers agree to pay for medical services or procedures – based on their classification, providing an […]

Drone delivery could help provide healthcare to more remote regions of the Gulf, backers of a pilot programme hope

Gulf could have drone healthcare delivery by 2026

Drone delivery technology transporting healthcare materials such as blood samples, vaccines and pharmaceuticals is likely to take to the skies across the Gulf within the next two years. A test programme between Siemens Healthineers and the German drone manufacturer Wingcopter in Kenya is due to come to a conclusion in the next two and a […]

Kaust hopes its new project will improve diabetes testing

Saudi university developing AI for early diabetes detection

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust) said this week it is working with Saudi company AmplifAI Health to develop AI technology for use in the early detection of diabetes.  Saudi Arabia and the UAE in particular are investing in health technologies that can predict medical risk and help develop medicines, and the kingdom […]

Shakhbout Medical City reported a net profit of AED14.7 million in 2023

Pure Health buys Abu Dhabi hospital stake for $150m

A subsidiary of Abu Dhabi’s Pure Health Holding has agreed to acquire Mayo Clinic’s shares in Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City for $150 million. Under the agreement, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) will acquire 25,000 shares, or 25 percent, of the total issued shares of Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Pure Health said in a statement […]

Global Fertility Partners will use the Dubai Investments funding to expand its network of fertility and women’s health centres

Dubai Investments buys stake in fertility company

Dubai Investments has acquired an equity stake of 34.3 percent in Global Fertility Partners, a network of fertility and reproductive genetics centres in the Middle East. GFP will get $60 million in equity financing to expand its network of fertility and women’s health centres across the Middle East and North Africa. Investors and family offices […]

Saudi Arabia's new strategy fouses on sectors such as genomics to make the kingdom a regional biotech leader

Saudi biotech strategy aims to dominate regional industry

Saudi Arabia has launched a National Biotechnology Strategy with the aim of becoming the region’s biotech leader by 2030 and a global leader by 2040, contributing 3 percent, or SAR130 billion ($35 billion), to non-oil GDP.  The strategy was unveiled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the aim of improving Saudi health standards, helping […]

Ades Holding is expected to raise about $1.22bn from selling more than 338.72 million existing and new shares

Avalon Pharma’s market value at $437m on listing

Saudi Arabia’s Middle East Pharmaceutical Industries Company (Avalon Pharma) has priced its initial public offering (IPO) at the top of its range at SAR82 ($21.87), implying a market capitalisation of SAR1.64 billion ($437.33 million) on listing. The recorded orders during the institutional book-building stood at SAR68.27 billion, representing a coverage of 138.76 times. The retail […]