Arab Health 2022: A new chapter in global healthcare collaboration

The event has long proven itself to be a fantastic opportunity to showcase the best of Wales’ life sciences industry

The UAE and the wider Middle East is a key strategic market for Welsh healthcare businesses.Photo: Business Wales

This year’s Arab Health event was a brilliant showcase of the resilience and innovation of the global life sciences and healthcare industry, with over 60 countries represented and a plethora of debuts, announcements, and launches.

For the Welsh Government, this event has long proven itself to be a fantastic opportunity to showcase the best of Wales’ life sciences industry and has resulted in many trade opportunities and partnerships for our businesses.

The UAE is already well-established as one of Wales’ most important international trading partners. It is currently the UK’s largest civil export market in the Middle East and prior to Covid-19, the UAE was Wales’ largest export market outside the EU and USA with a total value of exports approaching £500 million.

For the UAE, ranked as one of the top countries for its Covid-19 response and with ambitions to continue to build its healthcare infrastructure and develop its focus on Health IT, including telemedicine and digital medicine, it’s an exciting time for the sector.

Wales’ life sciences industry is dynamic and fast-growing and currently employs more than 12,000 people, in over 360 companies, generating an approximate turnover of £2bn. We have a thriving Life Sciences hub in our capital city, Cardiff, which connects the whole sector and are a home to a number of leading medtech companies – from corporate multinationals to smaller start-ups.

With the growth of the medical sector in Mena offering great collaborative opportunities for Welsh and Mena businesses alike, the Welsh Government recently brought together some of Wales’ foremost businesses and organisations for Arab Health 2022. Representing some of the best of Wales’ life sciences innovations, specialisms and technology, the delegates spanned the full range of the sector – from surgical equipment to data science.

This included Huntleigh, a provider of innovative solutions in vascular care, fetal and patient monitoring, including solutions that can assist clinicians in improving outcomes and enhancing patient wellbeing – a winner of the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

They were joined by R&D Surgical, a veteran manufacturer of medical devices and equipment that is seeking to address the needs of the surgical community both in the UK and globally.

Also at the event were SurgiNovi, a group of orthopaedic surgeons, engineers and computer scientists dedicated to helping surgeons and patients to make joint replacement procedures and recovery from them easier, quicker and more cost effective.

EKF Diagnostics is a manufacturer of point-of-care devices and tests and clinical chemistries and contract manufacturing facilities for enzyme fermentation, and kitting services for diagnostic and medical brands. Following Arab Health, the team is now looking to meet with potential manufacturing and licensing partners.

The UAE and the wider Middle East is a key strategic market for Welsh healthcare businesses and there is a wealth of exciting new opportunities to be explored for our delegates. A willingness to share knowledge, data and technology will help life sciences companies uncover innovative new treatments and methods, as well as continuing the successful collaboration that has been necessitated by the coronavirus crisis.

For more information about the delegation, or to get in touch with one of the businesses directly, who are looking for visit their profile pages at https://tradeandinvest.wales/arab-health.

For more information on what Wales has to offer to foreign investors, please visit the Trade & Investment Wales website: tradeandinvest.wales/