The Mideast is set for a substantial increase in spending on its healthcare infrastructure, according to virtually all local news sources. In the UAE alone, estimates suggest that there is shortage of over 2,000 hospital beds. As a result, numerous private hospital development groups have been drawn to the region, explained Ottmar Schmidt, director of marketing at Welcare World.

The change is expected, among other things, to reverse the trend of affluent Middle Easterners seeking healthcare abroad in such places as the U.S. or Europe.

The forecast predicts that the Middle East will be one of four emerging markets, along with China, Russia and India, whose healthcare investment will rise from $1 billion to $3 billion, in order to keep pace with nearly one billion people that will be added to the population.

Life expectancy in the Middle East has climbed from around 60 years a decade ago to around 70 years today, reported Royal Philips Electronics. Longer life expectancies mean that more monitoring will be required of such a population following diagnosis and treatment.

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