Hybrid discussion on India-UAE Healthcare & Wellness Opportunities

Trade Promotion Council of India and IBPC Dubai, with the support of the Consulate General of India in Dubai, organised a hybrid discussion on Healthcare & Wellness: Opportunities for India & UAE under CEPA.

Panelists focused on the changing paradigms in healthcare, learnings from COVID, major provisions for the sector under the  CEPA agreement, and the emerging focus areas of holistic wellness and and affordable healthcare. Besides this, the discussion also focused on India’s ongoing efforts to achieve self reliance in medical devices and prospects of collaboration with the UAE in this regard.

Trade Promotion Council of India and IBPC Dubai, with the support of the Consulate General of India in Dubai, organised a hybrid discussion on Healthcare & Wellness: Opportunities for India & UAE under CEPA. Dr Aman Puri, Consul General of India, Dubai, was the chief guest at the session.

The event involved panellists from Wellness, Affordable Healthcare, Hospitals & Medical Centres and Medical Equipment & devices as well as academia to discuss the potential of trade in these sectors, challenges and solutions.

Details of the speakers and panelists are as below:

Chief Guest

• Dr Aman Puri, Hon. Consul General of India, Dubai

Speakers

• Suresh Kumar, Chairman, IBPC Dubai
• Dr Pralok Gupta, Associate Professor (Services & Investment), Centre for WTO Studies, IIFT and Member, Committee for Advanced Trade Research, TPCI

Panelists (India)

• Dr. Suchita Markan, Scientist E Mission-in-Charge & Member Secretary, Medical Device and Diagnostics Mission Secretariat (MDMS), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India
• Dr Upasana Arora, Director, Yashoda Super Specialty Hospitals
• Dr Partap Chauhan, Director, Jiva Ayurveda
• Varinder Garg, OSD to Union Health Minister & President, PGIMER
• Satyaki Banerjee, Group COO, Trivitron Healthcare

Panelists (UAE)

• Dr. Ravi Parihar, Head of Clinical Operations & Marketing (MENA Region), KEF Holding
• Dr. Sanjay Paithankar, Managing Director, Right Health Group
• Dr. Malathi Arshanapalai, Group Chief Medical Officer & Group Chief Quality Officer (India & GCC), Aster DM Healthcare

Moderators

• Dr. Sajid Burud, Managing and Medical Director, Ishaq Bin Omran medical Centre, Sharjah (UAE)
• Virat Bahri, Deputy Director, TPCI (India)

 

India is recognised as a leading destination for healthcare services. It has a number of state-of-the-art healthcare facilities with demonstrated capability for simple to complex medical procedures and excellent post-operative care at highly economical prices. Indian doctors and healthcare workers are recognized as being among the best in the world.

As per latest estimates, the country has 37 Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited hospitals and 513 hospitals accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH). Apart from this, India has distinct advantages with AYUSH and wellness therapies, which have been gaining recognition over the years.

The UAE too, in its development journey of last five decades or so, has come to enjoy good medical reputation with world standard medical infrastructure and treatment facilities, which are well conducive to medical tourism, yet, the UAE government spent a large chunk of its total healthcare budget to send its Emirati people abroad for medical treatment. 

Panelists at the discussion focused on the changing paradigms in healthcare, learnings from COVID, major provisions for the sector under the agreement, and the emerging focus areas of holistic wellness and and affordable healthcare. Besides this, the discussion also focused on India’s ongoing efforts to achieve self reliance in medical devices and prospects of collaboration with the UAE in this regard.