Brought to you by Hospitals & Healthcare, this month we home in on the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on the healthcare industry and how providers are adapting their services to meet the needs of customers during this time; we also take a look at IPMI developments in the Middle East, where the radical advancement of healthcare facilities is strengthening the region’s reputation as a quality destination for international patient care.

New ventures confront the rising cost of healthcare

It’s hardly surprising to learn that Covid-19 has disrupted the global provision of healthcare, but a new survey from the World Health Organization reveals that disruptions to potentially life-saving emergency services were reported in almost a quarter of all countries, and the effect on globally mobile individuals continues to be felt.

Luckily, lots of creative solutions have come about in the form of enhanced IPMI offerings, some of which go beyond Covid-19, tackling some of the more deep-rooted healthcare inefficiencies present in different parts of the world. Take new stop-loss insurance offering Coefficient, for example. This new venture launched by Verily Life Sciences (sister company to Google and subsidiary of multinational conglomerate Alphabet Inc.) and backed by Swiss Re Corporate Solutions will help employers deal with ‘rising and increasingly unpredictable healthcare costs’ – an issue that has been synonymous with the US for some time now. Meanwhile, over in Asia, Aetna has once again expanded its services, now giving its members in Hong Kong virtual access to doctors through its partnership with MyDoc – a move that the telehealth provider believes will help tackle the problem of unnecessarily prescribed medication in the region.

The Middle East is fast emerging as a top healthcare destination

In Dubai, which takes the title as the top Arab destination for medical travellers for a second year in a row, international patient care facilities attract an Asian demographic and a new retirement visa scheme for over-55s looks set to boost travel and tourism revenues and help bolster the regional IPMI market.

And while the suspension of international patient services continues in Abu Dhabi, in line with precautionary Covid-19 health and safety measures, elsewhere in the UAE, things pick up. Al Qassimi Hospital in the city of Sharjah receives Joint Commission International accreditation, marking it as a centre of excellence for bariatric surgery; a memorandum of understanding agreed between Israeli hospital Sheba Medical Center and Emirati company APEX looks likely to pave the way for co-operation on medical innovation in the Gulf region; and a collaboration between Microsoft and UAE health insurer Daman allows some 2.5 million health members to access a bilingual health bot that enhances care while reducing person-to-person contact.

Of course, there is still lots more happening in the international patient care sphere. Visit our Hospitals & Healthcare news hub, where you’ll find all the latest IPMI news, as well as updates, reviews and insights on the latest international patient care news from around the globe.