Experts from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) healthcare industry have committed to navigating through a rapidly changing landscape to ensure healthcare provision in the region is second-to-none. That was the message from an expert panel bought together to discuss "Managing changing healthcare dynamics in MENA" on the first day of the 2nd MENA MedTech Forum.

Hosted by Mecomed, the Middle East and North Africa Medical Devices and Diagnostics Trade Association, the two-day forum is being held at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Academic Medical Centre, Dubai Healthcare City, and has attracted more than 200 medical-technology executives, regulators and healthcare professionals.

The overarching theme of the 2nd MENA MedTech Forum is "The Changing Face of Healthcare in the MENA Region" and it provides a platform for participants to share insights and best practice on local critical issues, including regulatory, educational and market entry strategies needed to integrate medical technology into the complex healthcare systems of the region.

The forum was opened by Tawfik A. M. Khoja, director general, executive board, health ministers’ Council for Cooperation, Saudi Arabia and Amin Hussain Al-Amiri, assistant undersecretary for public policy and license sector, Ministry of Health, UAE.

Khoja said that over the last 10 years the MENA region has witnessed a thorough revision to the healthcare system and it continues to evolve.

“The strategic planning of the healthcare provision in the GCC countries is continuously modified in order to accommodate the changing needs of patients and to also keep up with the trends of healthcare treatments and innovations,” he said.

“We are increasing healthcare training and leadership development to ensure we see the best outcomes for patients and we need to ensure we have adequate budget allocated to healthcare to do so. We need to continue to put patients first and work toward a comprehensive and integrated healthcare system in the GCC.”