Earlier this year, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hosted The Arab Health 2015 Exhibition & Congress, second-largest medical technology and service trade show in the world. The event took place at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre from January 26-29
Medical professionals and health industry representatives flocked from all over the world to participate in the four-day conference, which included forums and training workshops on a wide variety of medical specialties, from anesthesiology to urology. The congress also held meetings on broader issues such as public health, big data in medicine, and quality management.
The 2015 show attracted well over 4,000 exhibitors from 40 different countries, including, for the first time, visitors from Thailand, Indonesia, and Bahrain. China and Germany were especially well represented this year, with delegations from 579 and 461 companies, respectively. UAE itself sent representatives from more than 250 corporations.
The trade show allowed countless companies to showcase their most innovative medical technologies and services. While a number of ultra-high-profile industry names like GE Healthcare and Siemens attended, the expo also spotlighted many lesser-known names. One such company is GBUK Ltd, a British medical device manufacturer specializing in medical tubing and connectors. Prior to Arab Health 2015, the company had played a key role in establishing global design standards for such technologies. By attending the January conference, GBUK aimed to boost brand awareness among health care professionals around the world, and to cement partnerships with international distributors.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the Arab Health Exhibition & Congress looks set to gain in prominence in the future as both public- and private-sector health interests confront increasingly complex issues. Worldwide trends such as aging populations, the rise of non-communicable diseases, and shortages of healthcare workers necessitate meetings like Arab Health 2015 to bring together the innovative medical minds and businesses that can create and distribute state-of-the-art technologies to the people who need them.
Shahram Shirkhani 