Government-led digital health initiatives drive adoption of telehealth in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, “Strategic Public-Private Partnerships Transforming the Telehealth Market in the KSA and the UAE, 2020–2025”, finds that telehealth is a promising model for healthcare services in Saudi Arabia and UAE. The market which includes virtual visits, mHealth and remote patient monitoring (RPM) is estimated to reach $536.5 million by 2025 in the UAE at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.2 percent. Similarly, in Saudi Arabia, the market is likely to reach $415.4 million registering growth at a 24.2 percent CAGR over 2019 figures. With the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth’s scope is widening as social distancing has created an unanticipated demand for telehealth and made it an important technology to evaluate, manage and track patients without in-person examinations.
According to a healthcare industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan, “The launching of the Innovation Strategy 2019-2021 and Digital Health Strategy 2018 by the UAE and KSA governments, respectively, is the key factor driving digital transformation in the healthcare sector in both countries. The analyst further pointed out that the rising demand for consumer-centric services and tools in the healthcare system and increasing participation of the private sector through various public-private partnership models are leading the countries’ telehealth sectors toward maturity at a rapid pace. Large healthcare organizations are partnering with retail, healthcare IT, ICT, Medtech and insurance companies.
In Saudi Arabia, as health insurance becomes compulsory, almost 90 percent of healthcare spending in the next decade will be driven by private insurance; therefore, the need for management and preventive care will intensify the competition among private participants. The main competition will be in the direct-to-consumer route and partnerships with private or public healthcare facilities. The UAE is gearing up to fully exploit the benefits offered by telehealth. The adoption of mainstream telehealth services is rising steadily, and governments of different emirates are taking concerted effort to scale up across the country.”
Both countries’ focus on wellness and preventive care will catapult investment toward social determinants of health (SDOH) projects, presenting tremendous growth prospects for telehealth market participants.
Strategic Public-Private Partnerships Transforming the Telehealth Market in the KSA and the UAE, 2020–2025 is the latest addition to Frost & Sullivan’s healthcare research and analyses available through the Frost & Sullivan Leadership Council.
