Healthcare professionals from around the Middle East region converged to [...]]]>

A panel of expert healthcare professionals and media representatives observed that public private partnerships (PPPs) have a dominant role in driving the sustainable growth of the Middle East healthcare sector, at the third GE Healthcare Middle East Media Summit in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi.

Healthcare professionals from around the Middle East region converged to debate on wide-ranging topics including the current state of healthcare. They underscored the need for governments to focus on an earlier model of healthcare delivery based on timely diagnosis and treatment, which ultimately benefits the patients.

Nabil Habayeb, President & CEO, GE Middle East and Africa, highlighted the importance of GEs healthymagination initiative that is focused on sustainable healthcare by reducing costs, improving quality and enhancing access of care to the people. GE has two powerful drivers for sustainable growth ecomagination, which is about a healthier planet; and healthymagination, which is for healthier people.

Aziz Koleilat, General Manager, GE Healthcare for the Middle East, added: With the population in the region projected to grow by some 30 per cent to 53.5 million in the next decade, and increasing urbanization, the society faces new healthcare challenges. There are increased health risks associated with the environment and factors like smoking, unbalanced diets, sedentary living, and the potential for disease outbreaks. All this put a burden on resources both human and financial. This can be addressed only through earlier care by leveraging technological advances.

To provide clear solutions-based insights, the GE Healthcare Middle East Summit discussed pertinent topics including how advanced technologies will improve hospital efficiency and productivity, the role of partnerships in driving change, innovations in healthcare and regional healthcare trends with a focus on breast cancer.

The summit also discussed the relevance of healthymagination to the region, especially the GCC countries, where lifestyle diseases are on the rise with obesity, diabetes and stress being pressing challenges faced by the population.

The need for knowledge-sharing and competency building was highlighted at the Summit with Dr Tariq S Al Khuwaitir, Chairman – Department of Medicine and Medical Director, King Saud Medical Complex, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, elaborating on the success in building leaders in the Saudi healthcare system in partnership with GE Healthcare.

In addition to hosting a Saudi delegation at Crotonville LIG, GE Healthcare is organizing course sessions in Riyadh, which will reach at least 300 leading healthcare professionals this year. This Leadership, Innovation and Growth model is now being replicated in Saudi Arabia through hands-on learning sessions, and follow-up practices at the workplace where participants spend three weeks applying the new skills.

Dr Al Khuwaitir highlighted the role of GEs performance solutions in achieving increased hospital efficiency and productivity by achieving as much as 90 per cent operation room utilization, 44 per cent increase in efficiency and 41 per cent decrease in cancellations.

At the Summit, Dr Finn Göldner, Director Health System Financing of Abu Dhabi Health Authority, discussed the state of healthcare in Abu Dhabi emphasizing on the emirates health system reform. Haider Khan, Head Business Development of Etisalat Health & Hospitality; and Imad Ghandour, Executive Director Private Equity and Head of Strategy & Research, Gulf Capital, discussed how partnerships drive change in the region.

Highlighting the emphasis on public private partnerships, GE had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Etisalat to introduce the latest healthcare solutions in the UAE. Etisalat will leverage GE Healthcares innovative solutions and expertise in capturing patient information. This will result in the development and offering of medical data management and remote clinical support services via Etisalats state-of-the-art telecom infrastructure.

Imad Ghandour stressed on Gulf Capitals vision of creating the largest chain of radiology centers in the Middle East and North Africa region, and reiterated its partnership with GE Healthcare in bringing in advanced diagnostic technologies to the region. Radiology centers offering the latest advances will be opened in all major areas in Egypt and Saudi Arabia by the end of 2011, in addition to upgrading the equipment and services in five centers this year.

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GE Healthcare will feature more than 20 international speakers and over 100 specialized lectures on wide-ranging topics that [...]]]>

GE Healthcare will highlight its advanced range of innovative diagnostic technologies at the third Arabian Radiology Congress from April 29 to May 2, 2010, at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center at The Dead Sea in Jordan.

GE Healthcare will feature more than 20 international speakers and over 100 specialized lectures on wide-ranging topics that address the challenges and advances in modern diagnostic services.

During the Arab Radiological Congress (ARC) 2010, GE Healthcare aims to enhance awareness on the need for ‘earlier healthcare’ and to promote healthymagination, GE’s vision to develop innovations focused on reducing costs, improving quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery.

In addition, GE Healthcare will launch its groundbreaking Optima CT660, a Computed Tomography (CT) product -both GE ecomagination certified and healthymagination validated.

Moreover, there will be Optima CT660 is a brand new total body scanner, suitable for all clinical applications including cardiac. It includes flow down technologies and applications from the well known GE’s Discovery CT750 HD and the LightSpeed VCT scanners, such as ASiR ultra low dose reduction technique.

Elie Chahoud, General Manager – Levant region of GE Healthcare, said, “We are very pleased to be a part of the Arab Radiology Congress again this year and privileged to present to industry experts, institutions and the public the latest GE Healthcare innovations. It is also an educational platform that provides radiologists in the region insights into the new technologies and solutions.”

Further, GE introduces Vscan – a pocket-sized, ultraportable, easy-to-use visualization tool – launched earlier at Arab Health 2010. Vscan has the potential to redefine the way doctors examine patients and ultimately help improve patient care by enhancing the physical exam and enabling more rapid diagnosis at the point of care.

GE also spotlights GE’s Discovery CT750 HD, a CT scanner which delivers fine detail with its Gemstone detector. This one tube, one detector scanner allows dual energy spectral imaging which improves significantly image quality, reduces artifacts and help characterize lesions.

GE Healthcare recently signed with Jordan Hospital, a premier healthcare provider in Amman, to equip the hospital with the latest diagnostic equipment solutions including the Kingdom’s first-ever high definition computed tomography (CT) diagnostic equipment – the Discovery CT750 HD and Signa 1.5T HDxT magnetic resonance (MR) system.

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GE Healthcare will offer strategic support to Gulf Capital’s healthcare portfolio company investments, and the [...]]]>

GE Healthcare, the healthcare business subsidiary of General Electric Company, has signed a strategic alliance agreement with Gulf Capital, one of the largest private equity firms in the Gulf, to develop a regional chain of medical diagnostic and healthcare service centers.

GE Healthcare will offer strategic support to Gulf Capital’s healthcare portfolio company investments, and the two companies will collaborate closely to roll out and grow these investments into regional platforms offering world-class services.

The partnership will focus on a two-pronged approach of acquiring existing companies as well as launching greenfield operations with extended services including medical imaging, laboratory services, physiotherapy, dialysis services and oncology. The agreement provides Gulf Capital with access to the full range of GE Healthcare’s international commercial offerings, solutions and services.

The strategic alliance will focus on the delivery of world-class health care services in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, followed by an expansion at a later stage in other high growth markets.

Both parties will have access to and work closely with GE Capital Markets Corporate (CMC), an affiliate of GE Healthcare, to gain access to a wide range of financing solutions including equipment financing and financial advisory services. Gulf Capital will also have access to GE Healthcare’s global network of strategic and financial partners.

Commenting on the strategic alliance, Dr Karim El Solh, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Capital said: “We are pleased to partner with GE Healthcare on the launch of such an exciting regional platform in the growing healthcare market in the MENA region. GE Healthcare brings deep industry expertise and a wide range of medical technologies and services and represents an ideal partner. Gulf Capital and GE Healthcare share the same “healthymagination” vision of improving the quality and delivery of healthcare services across the MENA region.”

Aziz Koleilat, General Manager of GE Healthcare for the Middle East region, said: “This strategic alliance agreement is a perfect complement to GE’s healthymagination initiative in the region. Creating a network of medical diagnostic and healthcare service centers across the region will serve as a key milestone in achieving our goal of earlier diagnosis through the use of innovative technologies, products and services.”?

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The system combines GE Healthcare’s state-of-the-art BrightSpeed Elite16 slice CT, a newly designed SPECT [...]]]>

GE Healthcare, the healthcare business of General Electric Company (GE), will showcase clinical images from one of the first European clinical installations of its new Discovery NM/CT 670, a hybrid imaging platform designed to improve workflow, dose management and overall image quality.

The system combines GE Healthcare’s state-of-the-art BrightSpeed Elite16 slice CT, a newly designed SPECT gantry for greater positional flexibility, and the latest advancements in Nuclear Medicine detectors.

“Ten years ago, we introduced the world’s first SPECT/CT. With the Discovery NM/CT 670, we are revolutionizing the industry once again, providing clinicians the ability to perform both hybrid imaging and standalone CT procedures,”

said Karl Blight, General Manager of GE Healthcare’s EMEA Molecular Imaging business.

The Discovery NM/CT 670 platform incorporates flexible and proven workflow technology advancements from ten years of Infinia Hawkeye innovations and installations with a modular gantry, designed to embrace tomorrow’s technology today. The BrightSpeed Elite, providing proven multi-slice CT performance, completes the cutting-edge system.

The Discovery NM/CT 670 also has the capability to shorten acquisition times, improve dose management, and enable more convenient patient scheduling in comparison to separate, conventional SPECT and CT exams.

“We understand that a clinician does not want to compromise,” said Blight. “We are providing the latest in SPECT and CT technology so clinicians can explore new dimensions of disease and provide the best possible treatment and monitoring of the patient.”

Keeping the patient in mind, the revolutionary system can reduce scan time dramatically. Bone imaging protocols, including planar whole body, two-FOV SPECT and CT attenuation correction/localization, are among the most frequently performed Nuclear Medicine procedures.

With conventional nuclear hybrid imaging, a traditional bone imaging protocol can take up to 55 minutes. With the Discovery NM/CT 670, the time can be reduced to as little as 25 minutes.

Arab Health, the Middle East’s premier healthcare expo is held from January 25 to 28, 2010, at the Dubai International Convention Center. GE Healthcare is the Platinum Sponsor of the exhibition and the Commercial Gold supporter of three key conferences on Anesthesia, Molecular Imaging & Nuclear Medicine and Middle East Imaging and Diagnostics, being held on the sidelines of the event.

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The Lullaby Warmer has the potential to help caregivers improve access to quality infant care in developing countries [...]]]>

GE Healthcare, the healthcare business of General Electric Company (GE), as part of its ‘healthymagination’ initiative to reduce cost, increase quality and access to affordable healthcare worldwide, has introduced the Lullaby Warmer, now showcased at Arab Health 2010.

The Lullaby Warmer has the potential to help caregivers improve access to quality infant care in developing countries where nearly 90 per cent of the world’s births occur.

Globally, 139 million births occur each year, of which approximately 4 million neonates (less than 1 month old) die from mostly preventable causes. At least 50 per cent of global births occur in under-served settings where access to affordable technology remains limited. (Source: World Health Organization, Population Reference Bureau).

Regionally, the UAE fares better than other GCC nations in terms of under age 5 mortality rate at 8 per 1,000 live births, according to WHO statistics.

During the birthing process, an infant’s body temperature drops quickly once outside the controlled environment of the mother’s womb. Without the physiological mechanisms to fight off cold, the availability of warmth is the first line to survival for the newborn. The baby needs a device that can provide delicate warmth, emulating the mother’s womb.

GE’s Lullaby Warmer is designed and manufactured in Bangalore, India. The device is a bed with an overhead heater, showering the newborn with delicate warmth while the baby is cleaned after birth and checked for its first vital statistics. Remarkably simple to operate, even for a first-time operator, GE’s Lullaby Warmer will help improve access to care in the urban and semi-urban settings.

“The healthcare industry across the world is challenged by rising costs, disparity in access and persistent quality issues,” said Carrie Eglinton Manner, General Manager, Maternal-Infant Care, GE Healthcare. “We need new cost effective and reliable solutions to bridge the huge gap of unmet healthcare needs. Addressing this need will help us grow as well.”

“Healthymagination is our new business strategy that seeks to help people live healthier lives, support customer success and stimulate growth for GE,” Eglinton Manner said. “We invest in innovations that measurably reduce cost and improve access and quality of healthcare worldwide. That means we are committed to bringing to market high-tech and lower-cost products designed for specific local needs and process expertise to enable our customers to better serve more patients. The Lullaby Warmer on display today at the congress is an example of a healthymagination product.”

Arab Health, the Middle East’s premier healthcare expo is held from January 25 to 28, 2010, at the Dubai International Convention Center. GE Healthcare is the Platinum Sponsor of the exhibition and the Commercial Gold supporter of three key conferences on Anesthesia, Molecular Imaging & Nuclear Medicine and Middle East Imaging and Diagnostics, being held on the sidelines of the event.

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Oncology care is about making connections, between the disease, the treatment, the patients [...]]]>

GE Healthcare, the healthcare business of General Electric Company (GE), is strengthening cancer diagnosis and care across the Gulf region through one of the most comprehensive portfolios of diagnostic imaging technologies in the industry today, to be showcased at Arab Health 2010, Dubai.

Oncology care is about making connections, between the disease, the treatment, the patients and the multi-disciplinary clinical team. The premier healthcare exhibition in the Middle East region to be held from January 25 to 28, 2010, at the Dubai International Convention Center, will offer healthcare practitioners in the region unique insights into innovative solutions at GE’s pavilion.

Aziz Koleilat, General Manager at GE Healthcare for the Middle East region, said that the emphasis on cancer diagnostic and care products at Arab Health follows reports on the increasing incidence of cancer and other lifestyle diseases, which if addressed early have the potential to make treatment more affordable and effective. GE will demonstrate its breadth in oncology technology, from systems used in the initial diagnosis to treatment planning and monitoring to productivity enhancing IT solutions.

“According to the World Health Organization, lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and obesity-related illnesses account for nearly half of all deaths in the Gulf region. This puts tremendous pressure on the governments and leads to mounting healthcare bills, expected to grow fivefold by 2025. GE’s products facilitating early diagnosis build on our healthymagination initiative to reduce cost of healthcare delivery,” added Koleilat.

With breast cancer being one of the highest reported oncology concerns in the region, GE Healthcare is highlighting its range of mammography solutions at Arab Health. GE’s comprehensive product portfolio has been developed over half a century by working closely with mammography customers, with the aim being to deliver high quality, innovative, efficient and patient-friendly breast imaging products.

Radiation Oncology Solutions in PET/CT, CT and MR

GE Healthcare’s advanced multi-modality imaging systems (Computed Tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography/ Computed Tomography (PET/CT) and Magnetic Resonance (MR)) are increasingly important for Radiation Oncology where new radiotherapy treatment technologies rely on high quality imaging data to achieve their full potential for patient treatments.

GE Healthcare’s Discovery PET/CT 600 scanner, for example, combines advanced molecular imaging tools with diagnostic CT in one scanner, helping doctors with diagnosis, accurate tumor localization and assessment of how their patient is responding to treatment.

With the introduction of the new MR Oncology Package, GE brings the benefits of magnetic resonance imaging for today’s advanced radiation therapy. For sites with existing MR or those needing to expand services from diagnostics to Radiation Therapy, the MR Oncology package provides the perfect solution.
Real-time ultrasound fuses with CT, MR and PET

GE will feature its recently launched ultrasound system, the LOGIQ® E9, for radiology and vascular applications that fuses ultrasound images with images from other imaging modalities like CT and MR.

GE’s commitment to lowering costs is also evident in their range of support services focused around operational efficiencies. GE’s highly ranked Service organization is dedicated to helping organizations get the most out of their technology, from minimizing downtime to optimizing asset management and educating staff.

GE’s innovative technologies, services and solutions will be showcased at its pavilion, Hall No 4, Stand D30. GE Healthcare is the Platinum Sponsor of Arab Health and the Commercial Gold supporter of three key conferences on Anesthesia, Molecular Imaging & Nuclear Medicine and Middle East Imaging and Diagnostics, being held on the sidelines of the event.

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