The Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafy, emphasized during a speech at the opening of the 14th Arab-German Health Forum, which was held in the German capital, Berlin, that "the health industry is one of the most important sectors, and its importance is increasing not only in terms of the economic importance and the role it plays in human life and economic growth, but the importance of the health industry lies in supporting scientific research, development and innovation.”
Hanafy pointed out that "health care spending is expected to reach 10 trillion dollars in 2022, which represents more than 10 percent of the global GDP," noting that "despite the decline of many industries in light of the Corona pandemic, the global exports and imports of the pharmaceutical and medical supplies sector increased by more than 16 percent, as the Coronavirus launched a wild race by all countries and companies in an attempt to confront the new virus, and the global pharmaceutical industry witnessed unprecedented levels, reaching 1.43 trillion dollars in 2020.”
Dr. Hanafy stated that the Arab countries were able to develop their health systems in the past years and decades, but despite this the region still faces great and diverse economic, social and health challenges, and this requires the development of the health sector and the production of medicines in the Arab countries to avoid the shortage of medical products, and in this regard, Germany is the ideal partner for Arab countries in this field, as the Arab world is a very attractive market for German companies that rank a leading position in the medical technology industry and rank first in the world in healthcare innovations related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
He also added: “Developments in technology based on the digitization of the health and healthcare sector through social media, internet of things, wearables, sensors, big data, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, robotics and 3D printing, has fundamentally transformed societies around the world, and caused changes to the structures of health care systems, and this will be reflected in the reality of the health care and pharmaceutical sector after 2025.”
Prior to the forum, Hanafy met the Secretary-General of the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Abdulaziz Al-Mikhlafi, where they reviewed the Chamber's work and the prominent role it plays in strengthening the economic cooperation relations between Germany and the Arab world.
The Secretary-General of the UAC also participated in the "CEOs Summit: Resetting the Global Economy", which was organized virtually by the Arab-British Chamber on September 13, 2021, with the participation of senior executives, business leaders and experts.
Hanafy moderated the first working session, which was held entitled: “Arab-British Trade and Investment”, where discussions in the session focused on changing investment strategies and what companies need to do to adapt to the economic trends that have emerged during the pandemic, such as changes in buying behavior, restructuring operations and priorities leading businesses.
The CEO Summit aimed to develop the Arab-British cooperation by providing a platform for open conversations between business owners, CEOs and policy makers from around the world, facilitating effective and sustainable business practice and enabling senior executives to establish relationships that improve their business practices to achieve the greatest possible impact.
Source (Union of Arab Chambers)
