Saudi Arabia is the largest and fastest growing healthcare market in the GCC, estimated to reach SR92.6 billion (US$25 billion) by 2020. Last year, the Kingdom announced 420 health projects and laid foundation stones for an additional 127 other health facilities worth SR12 billion (US$3 billion). As Saudi Arabia continues to be an important part of HIMSS’s global presence, HIMSS Middle East drives the enterprise’s thought leadership through its own diverse networking events and initiatives.
In April 2017, HIMSS Middle East welcomed more than 1,500 attendees to their 2030 eHealth and Beyond event. The most common job title in attendance was ‘informatics professional’. In fact, 42 percent of attendees worked in hospitals themselves. These are interesting facts to consider as we think about how each conference, forum, and event hosted by HIMSS takes its own unique shape and form. However, they all possess a shared goal of transforming health through information and technology.
Organized by the Saudi Health Council, Ministry of Health and the Saudi Commission for Health Specialities, the HIMSS Saudi Conference & Exhibition 2018 highlighted the following topics:
- 2030 Visionary Innovation in Healthcare Transformation
- Disruptive Technologies: Artificial Intelligence, Precision Medicine
- Digital Health Education, Career Development and Workforce Needs
- Consumer Empowerment/Prosumer Health Technologies
- E-Health Leadership and Impact of Benefit Realization
- Cybersecurity and Blockchain Technologies
- Local Stories of E-Health Innovation Startups
This year’s theme "Reimagining Healthcare in Saudi Arabia” provided attendees with relevant takeaways and knowledge to help their organizations tap into the transformative power of digital health.
“It is fascinating to see that the digital transformation is a reality in many hospitals across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond,” said Charles Alessi, MD, LRCP, MRCS, chief clinical officer of HIMSS International. “Vision 2030 will accelerate the transformation of care through technology. During this conference, I look forward to hearing about the most critical updates, knowledge and showcases to improve clinical outcomes in every organization.”
Learn more about his global digital health perspective in this recent HIMSS post.