Israel UAE | Business Guide | 2021

T he U.A.E.'s population is projected to grow from 9 . 4 million people in 2017 to 11 . 055 million by 2030 , when life expectancy will reach 79 . 4 years, up from 77 . 3 years in 2016 . Given the increasing need for care, 14 , 969 hospital beds will be required in 2022 , representing 2 , 069 new beds. All this has energized the U.A.E.’s healthcare market’s growth engines. With 700 healthcare projects worth $ 60 . 9 bn in various stages of development, healthcare spending in the country is projected to account for 4 . 6 % of the country’s GDP by 2026 (up from 4 . 2 % in 2016 ). Recently, theAbuDhabi Investment Office launched a new $ 545 m Innovation Programto include innovative solutions for the healthcare and bio-pharma sectors. A Public-Private Opportunity Private spending in the sector enjoysGovernmental support Promoting Bilateral Cooperation The Medical Devices and Digital Health Market in U.A.E. is getting a boost: Israeli expertise is contributing significantly | Or Noam and the PPPmodel is being encouraged, especially in niche healthcare sector skills like cardiology. Privatization of hospitals andmandatorymedical insurance, especially in Dubai andAbu Dhabi, is expected to encourage spending. Still, the public health provider AbuDhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) is amajor innovativeplayer: it comprises 13 hospitals and 36 primary healthcare clinics. SEHApartners with global healthcare leaders, such as JohnsHopkins and MayoClinic, to support R&D. Primary care in the country is still regarded as being in the early stages of development and the increase in the occurrence of diabetes is of concern. Israeli innovation can be of use: many Israeli digital health Israel-UAE > Business Guide > 2021 66 > Medical Technologies > Sector Review