Arab Health 2025 highlights need for better planning as population ages and demand surges

Greater emphasis on prevention and advancements in technology seen as key to tackling the challenges of a changing world

Visitors on the first day of Arab Health 2025 at Dubai World Trade Centre on Monday. Pawan Singh / The National

Fifty years on from the first Arab Health conference held in Dubai, there has been a generational shift in the global approach towards health care and the way patients are treated.

For this year's event, which started on Monday, Dubai World Trade Centre’s conference halls, stacked with the latest medical devices and diagnostic scanners, showed business remains at the exhibition’s core. But how governments and healthcare authorities around the world deal with universal concerns of staff shortages and how to harness the power of rapidly accelerating technology were also familiar themes.

Prevention has moved sharply to the forefront of planning, with ageing populations around the world creating extra pressure for hospitals as people live longer, some with chronic health conditions. The changing nature of healthcare demand has been reflected in the Northern Emirates, which is facing up to a double dynamic of population growth and surging demand, with mandatory health insurance introduced on January 1.

The Arabian Healthcare Group will aim to meet those needs with a new 209-bed multi-speciality hospital that aims to be up and running in Ras Al Khaimah by 2027. Greenfield Hospital and its associated community clinics will offer all aspects of care, aside from oncology and transplants, and promises the latest artificial intelligence to streamline patient services.

Arab Health 2025 opens with more than 3,800 exhibitors

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The importance of technology

Automation will be integral across all operations, from patient admissions, to diagnostics and post treatment care. Dr Raza Siddiqui, chief executive of the Arabian Healthcare Group and executive director of RAK Hospital, said population dynamics have forced a change to the healthcare approach.

“When we planned the hospital 20 years ago, it was a scalable model,” Dr Siddiqui told The National. “There was a small population that could afford this kind of care but health care has to be world-class every time, every day.

“The real situation now is the population of Ras Al Khaimah has become 400,000 and insurance is becoming mandatory. What we are doing now is to keep pace with the changing times.”

An ageing world

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the global population of those 60 and older is expected to double by 2050 and triple by 2100, with huge implications for health care.

Given current trends, research by Alpen Capital suggests over-50s will make up 18.5 per cent of the GCC's population in 2025, up from 14.2 per cent in 2020.

“Health care is facing major challenges: ageing population; burden of chronic disease; cost of health care going up; insurance controlling price; and a shortage of fiscal manpower,” said Dr Siddiqui. “Keeping people healthy, and in their homes, is the most important thing to consider due to the burden of chronic disease. These people can be managed well with wearable devices and remote monitoring. This is a message of wellness, so people don't have to visit a clinic 10 times a year.”

Special disease-management software will be connected remotely to someone’s home and pair with wearable devices, to admit patients only when absolutely necessary, Dr Siddiqui said as he noted the importance of AI.

For example, during a visit to a doctor, 60 per cent of the time can be taken up entering patient data. Generative AI will aim to capture the conversation between patient and doctor in a template in the hospital’s records system, freeing up time and enhancing productivity.

Population health

The health industry is looking to the future and how to provide services that keep people out of hospital. Spread across 1,022 square metres, the latest clinic by DNA Health & Wellness in Al Manhal, Abu Dhabi, will focus on prevention and living longer.

Longevity has become a booming industry, with DNA Health & Wellness one of many looking to build on a blossoming UAE market for wellness. The clinic promises a comprehensive range of personalised treatment that focuses on prevention, optimisation, rejuvenation and longevity – with the sole objective of making people healthier and keeping them out of hospital.

Specialised treatment includes preventive health screenings that analyse more than 15,000 parameters and vast amounts of data, focusing on biomarkers, oxidation levels and lipids, peptides, stem cells and IV therapy.

All combine to give a full picture of individual health and any personalised interactions that may be required. "We focus on the early detection and management of diseases,” said Dr Nasr Al Jafari, co-founder and group medical director of DNA Health & Wellness. “By preventing and catching these conditions at their earliest stages, we provide effective healthcare plans to treat illnesses before they can cause harm.“

The group already has five clinics in Dubai and is looking to expand further into Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain. However, this kind of preventive care comes at a price and it could be some time before the latest wellness treatments are delivered en masse to an ageing public.

Longevity capsule

Visitors try out the Longevity Capsule by HaloRenew on the opening day of Arab Health. Pawan Singh / The National

One eye-catching device on show at Arab Health is the Longevity Capsule by HaloRenew. What resembles a human-size microwave actually delivers salt therapy, oxygen, red-light therapy and aromatherapy for a 360-degree approach to health and wellness.

“Salt therapy cleanses and detoxes your body, and helps with respiratory issues like COPD [Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] and asthma,” said Bruno Bafia, chief executive of HaloRenew. “It can also help with allergies and skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis. The red-light therapy targets skin recovery, bone recovery and muscle recovery, while the oxygen relaxes the body and improves physical performance.”

Regular sessions from 20 minutes to one hour are designed to enhance respiratory health, rejuvenate skin, improve immunity and reduce inflammation. At about $60,000, the Longevity Capsule is expected to attract interest from high-end hotels, spas and airports.

“In California, we have a wellness centre where we have anywhere between 1,000 and 1,500 people walking through the door to use this kind of therapy,” said Mr Bafia. “After anywhere between five and 10 sessions you're going to notice huge results.”

Arab Health 2025 runs until Thursday.