The regional medical equipment industry is growing by leap and bounds, with annual trade in medical equipment increasing AED 3.5 billion (some US$950 million) in the region, according to trade traffic statistics compiled by Statistics Departments by Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation. The figure represents a 35 percent growth over the same period last year.
Medical, dental and surgical comprise 11 percent of the total trade through Dubai, while therapeutic medicaments contribute 33 percent. Solutions comprise 3 percent of total trade, while antibiotics also contribute 3 percent. Diagnostic and laboratory reagents add another 3 percent, and the remaining 46 percent consists of miscellaneous instrumentation and technology, as well as therapeutic and remedial medications that fall outside the categories numerated above.
Adel Al Ashram Senior Manager Department of Statistics (PCFC) said, “Dubai is seeing a rapid increase in the import and re-export of medical equipment, instrumentation, and therapeutic solutions and tablets. This is due in part to Dubai’s increasing stature as regional re-export epicenter, and also due to the fact that the health sector in the Middle East is burgeoning, with a vast array of new projects coming up, and many Arab countries working towards upgrading their health sector and medical infrastructure. A new trend is the inculcation of holistic treatment centres that provide a vast range of therapies and treatment, and are being promoted as a healthy way of life.”
“We can fully expect to see trade figures for medical equipment being routed to and through Dubai to continue their upward trend in coming years as the region realizes the importance of nurturing world class health sectors that can compete internationally and attract experts and patients from all over the globe,” he added.
The USA ranked first on the list of importers to Dubai, with overall medical imports reaching AED 333 million. Germany was second with imports of 308 million, while the UK, China and Switzerland totaled AED 240 million, 141 million and 133 million respectively.
Of the total trade in medical equipment, imports comprised 74.8 per cent, while export and re-export amounted to 25.1 per cent.
