Healthcare industry leaders met top government officials at a major summit in Dubai and discussed key industry challenges and also the need to recruit and develop world-class talent in the UAE’s burgeoning healthcare sector.

UAE Minister of Health, Dr Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim held high-level discussions with regional players on driving inward investment across all aspects of the country’s medical system at the inaugural 'UAE Healthcare Investment forum.'

The forum organised by UAE-based consultancy Vision Executive Search, was held under the banner ‘Human Capital and the Health Economy.’ The event was facilitated by Dr Rubin Minhas, clinical director and editor-in-chief, British Medical Journal Evidence Centre.

On motives behind the first-of-its-kind event, Nairouz Bader, CEO of Vision Executive Search, said: “The panel discussion is designed to map out a comprehensive strategy and programme of initiatives to drive inward investment across all aspects of the country’s medical system, with a focus on human capital and sustainable capacity building.”

Bader, who hails from a pharmaceutical and life science industry background, is a board member and Middle East representative of Association of Executive Search Consultants, and an official expert in HR and talent for the OSEC – Business Network Switzerland.

A panel of key industry leaders including Craig McLaren, regional MD, Johnson & Johnson and chairman of the Middle East Devices & Diagnostics Trade Association (Mecomed); Jan Felton, CEO, Modern Pharmaceutical Company; Dr Walid Kattouha, head of Middle East, Novartis; and Maurice Faber, VP Middle East, Siemens, were joined by over 50 senior industry, and local and international government representatives.

Opening the session, Dr Al Qassim cited the UAE’s long history of commitment to the development of local talent as a key driver for economic prosperity.

“Transferring knowledge has always one of our top national priorities. Everything is geared towards the importance and development of our human capital,” he said.

Echoing his sentiments, Felton said: “Human capital is key in defining anything to do with healthcare. An enormous amount has already been done here and we have created an environment where human capital is beginning to stick.'

'People are not here for just three years before moving on, and this gives us a great opportunity to develop that human capital for the benefit of the economy,' he noted.

Regional standards in healthcare provision also came under the spotlight, said Bader.

McLaren said, “We have always had a shared objective in improving standards of quality in the region. There’s been a quantum leap forward in the last decade, particularly on the front of partnership.'

'As an industry we have invested and continue to invest significantly in the professional education of healthcare professionals,' he remarked.

'Companies now are trying to train people here, in the region, to make it more sustainable for advancement in terms of technology and understanding,' he remarked.

McLaren also highlighted the opportunities for further collaboration. “Through Mecomed we talk to authorities around the region on where are the touch points where we can help as an association, and as an industry, and have a common objective to help the authorities in balancing the quality of healthcare in the region, as well as the competence, skills and standards of the people who work in the industry,” he said.

Current healthcare sector operational issues were flagged by Siemens VP Middle East, Maurice Faber. “It’s already a challenge to keep our healthcare colleagues up-to-date with technology, which is advancing rapidly. And equipment needs the right ‘driver’.

We would like to partner with the Ministry of Health is in finding ways to secure the operators and we are a very willing partner in this. There is great knowledge within the country, but we need to find a way to share it,” he said.

Accoring to Bader, the importance of investing in research was also a hot topic.

“Our industry is all about innovation and skills. We are doing a lot of work with healthcare professionals in developing capabilities and using our expertise to develop research capabilities,” commented Kattouha.

In response, Felton, mooted the idea of research specialisation. “Here in particular, quite often we want instant results and the reality is that these things are best done when they grow and develop. The UAE, and the surrounding region, has a phenomenal [research] opportunity in the area of diabetes,” he said.

McLaren related this directly back to knowledge capital. “Our value as an industry is not necessarily financial, it’s based around knowledge and what we can offer, and that’s where the most value can be given,” he remarked.

A second, larger forum is tentatively scheduled for Spring 2011, said Bader.-TradeArabia News Service