Dubai chalks out healthcare plan

From manufacturing blood plasma to 3D implants to genome sequencing, Dubai has it all chalked out until 2030.

In an exclusive interview, Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, executive director at Dubai Science Park and chairing member of the pharmaceutical and medical equipment task force, entrusted with the delivery, told Khaleej Times what the future of the medical sector will be like.

"A one year study was done to assess the sectors that are suitable and make sense for Dubai and six sectors were chosen namely aviation, maritime, FMCG, pharma and medical devices and aluminum and heavy metals," he said while talking about the Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030, which aims at attracting manufacturers.

The strategy is also expected to offer 27,000 jobs.

He said the sectors were further divided into two groups such as existing industrial activities like aluminum and heavy metals, maritime and other three as upcoming sectors.

"The market has been growing year on year over the past 10 years," he said, adding "maybe slower sometimes but there has always been positive growth."

"We needed to choose some sectors that are actually growing and are easy to implement here and basically that Dubai has the right elements for these sectors."

He said that role of the task force is to do a map the key opportunities that can make sense for Dubai and start the right enablers.

In a study, the task force looked at sectors that they wanted to attract but are not ready today. "Maybe we will attract them in future such as: in the short term, we are going to focus on two sectors; one is pharmaceuticals including dietary supplements, and super generics," he added.

Even though generics are already being manufactured in Dubai, super generics too can carry a Made in UAE label. "For example paracetamol is a generic but we can make paracetamol a super generic by using a different delivering mechanism such as a spray in the mouth or a patch. Basically, the existing generic formulas are innovated," he said.

At present, Korea and India are the leading players in these sectors. "We are in touch with a couple of companies from these countries for the same."

Talking about medium term plans, Al Janahi said: "Implementation of halal standards is part of medium term goals. A lot of the supplements and vitamins that are produced elsewhere use pork gelatin so there is a very clear opportunity to not only made in the UAE but also to wbuy halal standard."

"Our medium term production goals include blood plasma, which is a life-saving product and all hospitals need blood plasma products," he said, adding that regulations were being made.

Currently, 75 per cent of blood plasma products are manufactured in the US and Europe. With no production facilities in the region, the Middle East and Africa rely entirely on imports and run the risk of shortages in supply. He said that another medium term investment being looked into was 3D implants.

"We are in touch with Dubai Health Authority (DHA) to see how we can bring manufacturers here through their initiatives."

Next generation sequencing, genetic testing and personalised medicine are among the long term plans, said Janahi.

"For any country to do personalised medicine, you need to have an understanding of the genome and screening and by doing genome sequencing, you can be a world player," he said.

Along with developing the sectors, the task force is also focusing on talent development. "In the UAE we have good science colleges and universities, so we are doing this mapping between the graduates and what the industry needs," he said.

Since Dubai is focusing on medical tourism for the coming years, Janahi said that the plan fits in well with the 3D implants.

He said that a big part of medical tourism is focused on cosmetics. "Cosmetics is something that changes very frequently since it is not only about implants and botox but it is also about using different methods," he added.