A total of 138,965 hospital beds, 140,334 doctors and 227,079 nurses will be required by 2050 to maintain current healthcare levels in the GCC, according to an Ithmar Capital study released yesterday.
The report calls on policy makers to engage with the private sector to expand, consolidate and support healthcare in the region. It also highlights how the economic development that has enabled impressive progress in GCC healthcare has at the same time contributed to the proliferation of serious health problems associated with growing affluence, including diabetes and obesity.
"The requirement for healthcare provision to meet the needs of populations the world over is undiminished in the face of unprecedented financial turmoil," said Faisal bin Juma Belhoul, founder and Managing Partner of Ithmar Capital. "Remarkable progress continues to be made by GCC governments in putting this capacity in place, and as a result the inhabitants of the Gulf can today look forward to life expectancies unparalleled in the history of the region.
"Meeting the GCC healthcare challenge will require a consensus-driven healthcare infrastructure and regulatory environment," he said. The report – Expand, Consolidate & Support: Meeting the GCC Healthcare Challenge 2050 – was produced in partnership with Dow Jones Private Markets.
Khaldoun Haj Hasan, co-founder and Managing Partner of Ithmar Capital, said: "The data and insights contained in this publication will form a basis for discussion to address the future of Gulf healthcare."
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