Healthcare Platform

Sector Overview

Across the GCC, a growing and simultaneously ageing population, and the increasing prevalence of lifestyle diseases, has seen healthcare quickly climb the ranks and become a top priority for the region’s governments as they strive to diversify their economies away from a reliance on oil. The MENA region’s over 65 population as a percentage of the total population stood at 5.7% in 2019, this number is set to rise to 7.6% in 2030 and to 12.7% in 2050.2 This has also been accompanied by a rise in the prevalence rates of lifestyle diseases. The need to build modern, accessible and increasingly digital healthcare sectors has been further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic which has driven governments all over the world to rethink the way healthcare is accessed and the way in which services are delivered. In healthcare, the care model has shifted to preventative care and value-based payment models to curb the rising cost of care and drugs which has emphasized the requirement of putting patients at the center of healthcare decision-making through driving efficiencies in convenience, accessibility, transparency as well as the personalization of products and services. In turn, this has also sprung more focus on the widening demand-supply gap of skilled professionals, pressuring regulators to introduce digital therapeutics and alternative care to mitigate the global challenge of access to care and improve patient outcomes. Additionally, as digital healthcare proliferates globally and across the region, it is becoming more critical for governance systems to strengthen data privacy, build efficiencies, and close the digital divide.