Among the various challenges faced by the health systems of middle eastern countries are a rising chronic disease burden, inequitable access to health services, and deficiency in the health workforce. The purpose of this article is to guide you through the efforts middle east countries make towards trying to focus on tackling challenges in their healthcare system.
Contribution of Oil Industry
Most of the countries in the Middle East gain revenues from oil factories. The middle east consists of relatively smaller populations in Oman and UAE, which gain significant wealth from the oil industry. The money generated from the oil producing companies enables its owners to donate certain amounts of resources towards healthcare systems, which gives them a way to further develop themselves.
This paved the way for international collaborations. These contributions have allowed UAE to gain a strong position at the global level for its efforts in changing the current systems of health care. The information technology infrastructure and improved service integrations across Emirates are the aftereffects of it.
Effect of War and Conflicts on the Healthcare Sector of the Middle East
War and conflicts have had a very negative impact on the healthcare sector in the Middle East. Countries that have been involved in a war or conflicts do experience peculiar complications about their health system. For instance, Palestine and Yemen, though other countries in the Middle East have also faced similar effects since the Second World War.
Constant wars and conflicts in the countries have put a lot of stress on these health care systems. For example, the civil war that took place in Yemen during the period had succeeded in bringing only 45% of the health facilities from 3507 in the country. Thirdly, since government sources only contribute 28% towards health care financing, Yemen cannot afford general health care services for its people; therefore, in some of the states, cost-sharing and community health insurance is now very common.
Kuwait Government’s Role
The Kuwait government aims to tender around three billion USD of healthcare projects in the coming years. The Kuwait government has been exploring financing mechanisms for its healthcare system since the 1980s. Free health care is guaranteed by the Kuwaiti constitution for all citizens.
The government will expand the private sector share in healthcare by providing public-private partnerships (PPPs). As an example of PPP, the government contracted out the care services of more than 100,000 Kuwaiti retirees to a state-funded private health insurance system. Additionally, investment in digital health solutions- Al Amiri Hospital was the first public hospital that had an end-to-end digital healthcare system.
Reshaping the Middle Eastern Healthcare with Digital Revolution
One of the most significant challenges faced by healthcare systems in the Middle East is access to specialized and advanced care treatments. This factor is meshed with a range of factors related to limited workforce availability and wide geographic dispersion of populations. This inbuilt problem in the countries of the Middle East has been overcome because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the same pandemic, acted as a catalyst for the fast-tracked development of more innovative delivery modes like telemedicine and e-pharmacies.
New e-services and technologies, such as telemedicine, have helped both the patient and the physician. Patients have been given the empowerment to reach physicians virtually irrespective of their locations. Similarly on the other hand, physicians have utilized technology to upgrade their knowledge and skills and, more importantly, to provide better assistance to patients.
Remote monitoring technologies were associated with a significant reduction in hospital readmission and emergency visits, which then translated to saving costs of care amounting to as much as 16 percent over five years.
Optimizing Healthcare costs
There is more pressure on global health-care systems due to healthcare inflation, and the amount that is likely to be exacerbated by aging, growing populations, and growing cases of diseases. Cost-cutting should be viewed as a macro perspective of healthcare. Virtual care can be an expensive endeavor but can bring the cost of treatment and readmission to fewer levels overall.
Similarly, remote monitoring technology has streamlined the process of chronic diseases and recovery after treatment while supporting cost reduction. For instance, diabetes is a common disease in our region, and this condition’s management is cost-escalating; however, bringing remote monitoring technologies to the lives of patients significantly reduces costs for health systems.
Conclusion
In conclusion, healthcare systems in the region face constraints with limited access to specialized care, the impact of war and conflicts, and rising health care costs. However, all projects undertaken by the countries, including contributions from the oil industry, government investments in digital health solutions, or the adoption of innovative e-services and technologies, opened the path for future improvement of these systems. For this purpose, it is well to note that the health systems of the Middle East will have to proceed with embracing the digital revolution, meeting cost optimization and international cooperation for the offering of equitable healthcare access to all citizens moving forward.
