DUBAI — The MENA (Middle East & North Africa) region’s clinical laboratory services market is estimated to be worth around $8 - $10 billion – with approximately 60% - 70% of doctor’s decisions regarding a patients diagnosis, treatment, hospital admission and discharge now based on laboratory test results, according to a new report published ahead of MEDLAB 2019.

As one of the most important segments in the healthcare industry’s value chain, the research from Colliers International predicts the clinical laboratory services market in MENA is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6% - 8% until 2025 in line with global projections. Driving this growth is a paradigm shift towards preventative care rather than curative care, as well as the effect of key demand generators such as an ageing and increasing population, the emergence of lifestyle diseases and a high incidence of seasonal diseases.

Figures from the report titled “Clinical Laboratory Services in the MENA Region 2019” and published as part of the MEDLAB Market Report series, revealed the number of inpatients and outpatients in the UAE (Abu Dhabi and Dubai) is expected to grow from 29.3 million in 2016 to 95.3 million in 2030. Similarly, the UAE is projected to have a bed capacity of 25,300 by 2030, up from 12,500 in 2016.

In Dubai, public sector healthcare facilities conducted around 25.5 million tests in 2017 while the private healthcare sector performed over 6.2 million tests during the same period. On average, a patient in Dubai had undergone 2.7 laboratory tests in 2017 as 11.5 inpatients and outpatients were encountered in Dubai.

Mansoor Ahmed, Director Healthcare, Education & PPP for MENA Region at Colliers International, said: “The increase in the number of patients will have a significant impact on the demand for clinical laboratory services in the UAE as the importance of the clinical laboratory industry continues to grow. Although the MENA clinical laboratory services market is still in a nascent stage, it has the ability to grow and catch up with the global market in the next few years.”

Mansoor added: “Advancements in Information Technology (IT) will perhaps have the greatest impact on the clinical laboratory industry through improving and enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of laboratory operations, decreasing the average cost per test and decreasing the lead time to providing test results to the patients and doctors.”

Organized by Informa Exhibitions, MEDLAB Exhibition & Congress takes place on Feb. 4 – 7, 2019 at the Dubai World Trade Centre and will welcome more than 19,600 medical laboratory trade professionals and 670 exhibitors from 46 countries in an effort to develop the value of laboratory medicine in shaping the future of healthcare.

“Last year, more than $166 million worth of deals were signed at MEDLAB highlighting the buoyancy of the clinical laboratory service market in the MENA region. As the status of the clinical laboratory industry continues to evolve, and new technologies and new medical tests are introduced in our laboratories, we will expect to see greater efficiency and improved patient services from the medical laboratories in the region,” said Tom Coleman, Group Exhibition Director, MEDLAB Series. — SG