"I think the focus in these countries should be on preventing diseases, training medicos and paramedical staff and creating health awareness among their people than just building huge healthcare infrastructure," said Leonard Lerer.

The region needs to rope in more and more of its people in the healthcare system and ensure that its citizens have confidence in the medical services, Lerer, who is an MD and MBA, told The Peninsula yesterday.

Lerer works with Zurich-based Santeum Prtners, a healthcare finance specialist body which publishes a lot of researched and informative literature on the subject. Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing 'UN Conference on Financing Development' at the Doha Sheraton, he said: "The Gulf region is an interesting place. It has immense oil wealth but its healthcare systems remain underdeveloped."

Qatar should be an exception because it has one of the best healthcare systems in the entire region as it is investing hugely in setting up prestigious medical colleges, universities and in training doctors and nurses, said Lerer.

Overall, the region's healthcare facilities need a huge $50bn in investments to match those in the West. More than 20 per cent of nationals of the GCC suffer from obesity. Heart problems and smoking are common. The emphasis should be on creating awareness and helping improve the health of the people than treating them when they have fallen sick.

People here should be encouraged to be healthy and more attention should be paid to primary healthcare system. According to Lerer, one serious problem faced by the NGOs working in the area of the healthcare in the region is a lack of data on diseases like AIDS, TB and malaria.

By Mobin Pandit

© The Peninsula 2008

 

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