Medexpo Saudi 2012 ‘attracts global interest’

Roberta Fedele
Saudi Gazette
 

JEDDAH — Medexpo Saudi Arabia 2012, the first Saudi International Healthcare Exhibition and Forum that strives to become a leading networking platform for medical professionals and companies in the health sector, opened Sunday at the Jeddah Center for Forums and Events.

President of the Saudi Association for Health Informatics Majid M. Al-Tuwaijri, present at the exhibition’s opening and speaker at the forum, said tying together consumers and suppliers will significantly contribute to develop the healthcare sector.

Specialized in health informatics, Al-Tuwairi will present during the forum the King Abdallah Health Encyclopedia, the first Arabic online comprehensive encyclopedia available on the Internet.

“Healthcare is moving more and more toward people getting care of their self and improving their lifestyles. We are very keen to be present at the forum and explain the usefulness of the Encyclopedia. This new mean will help people find immediate information through videos, multimedia, diagrams etc. Machineries are in fact important but secondary to knowledge and acquiring the ability of monitoring ones own health conditions,” he said.

“The healthcare sector within Saudi Arabia is receiving significant support from the government and attracting global interest. The estimated investment of the Saudi government for building 117 new hospitals, 750 primary health care centers and 400 emergency centers is over $ 23.4 billion. The Medexpo Exhibition represents the right platform to help the government achieve its goal in line with the Ninth Five-Year Plan,” said Project Manager of Medexpo Saudi John Suzara.

“This first edition of Medexpo has attracted more than 150 international and Saudi exhibitors. An array of companies from 25 countries including Brazil, UK, France, Germany, China, Netherlands and Pakistan are displaying more than 1000 new and innovative products from the medical, dental, ophthalmological and laboratory sectors,” he added.

CEO of Mice Arabia Group Elie Rizk justified this intense international participation recalling the great opportunities and advantages that are opened to foreign companies willing to invest in the region’s largest country and economy.

“Saudi Arabia is witnessing an economic boom backed by decision makers who are allocating important parts of their budget to the infrastructure and healthcare sectors, thus attracting consistent foreign investments. On its side, Saudi Arabia can benefit from the exchange of know-how that this platform provides and will be able to internationally showcase the Kingdom’s achievements in the healthcare industry,” he said.

On the sidelines of Medexpo Saudi Arabia, which runs until June 20,a partner two-day forum opened today (Monday) at Park Hyatt Hotel. The forum will allow influential minds from the Kingdom’s public and private sectors to come together and discuss the challenges facing the country’s medical industry.