Muscat, 08 April 2013: A Hamburg business delegation of healthcare and life science representatives, headed by H.E. Senator Cornelia Prüfer-Storcks, Head of the Ministry of Health and Consumer Protection of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, is currently visiting Muscat to participate in the Omani-­German Healthcare Workshop.

The workshop will be held under the Patronage of the Omani Ministry of Health on Tuesday, April 9th, 2013, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Muscat.

H.E. Dr. Mohammed Seif Al Hosni, Undersecretary for Health Affairs, Ministry of Health,Oman, will be the Guest of Honor in the event. He will deliver a keynote speech on "Health Vision 2050 and Future Health Projects".

Opening remarks will be made by H.E. Hans-Christian Freiherr von Reibnitz, Amabassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Muscat. Workshop Keynote speakers include Dr. Ahmed Al Qasmi, Director General of Planning Affairs, Ministry of Health, Oman and Dr. Hinrich Habeck , Managing Director, North German Life Science Agency, Hamburg.

The Hamburg delegation includes representatives from some leading North German companies, namely: Life Science Agency "Norgenta", Helios ENDO-Klinik Hamburg,  Dr. Brill + Partner, Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology ,  Weinmann Geraete fuer Medizin, Hamburg Emergency Hospital (BUKH), Endocor  and Prosystem.

In her comment on the Hamburg delegation's visit to Oman, Prüfer-Storcks said: "We are pleased to visit the Sultanate, meet with officials from healthcare sector and participate in this workshop and contribute to its success. All participants in this workshop are leaders in health services and medical care and technology."

Noting that the visit to Oman comes immediately after North Germany's successful participation in MEDEXPO Saudi Arabia, which was held in Jeddah during the period from 6 to 8 April, Prüfer-Storcks described the Omani-German workshop as "a great opportunity for companies, hospitals, clinics and institute from North Germany to exchange knowledge, expertise and the best practices in healthcare with their peers in Oman."

She stressed that the medical sector has become one of most prominent sectors experiencing a growing collaboration between Hamburg and the GCC countries, especially that North Germany represents an excellent global hub for medical and therapeutic services.

For his part, Dr. Hinrich Habeck, Managing Director of Norgenta, said: "We strive to support all projects that help shed light on North Germany and to back companies, scientists and institutions on both national and international levels. We also seek to assist North German companies to tap the Gulf markets, providing them with information and with more cooperation opportunities in this region."

"Our participation in this workshop," he added, "indicates North Germany's particular interest in Oman and the Gulf region. It also provides the North German companies with a good chance to create new communication channels, reinforce business links and cooperation and expand their presence in the region.'

Habeck stressed North Germany's excellence in healthcare and medical field, noting that it "has a strong network linking medical technology pioneers with hospitals, specialized clinics and research centres that can provide the GCC countries with the latest equipment and the best services and expertise." 

It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Health and Consumer Protection in Hamburg launched a government initiative and inaugurated in 2012 in Dubai the Healthcare Industry Service Centre that is supported by the European Social Fund in cooperation with "Norgenta".

In this context, Kirsten Staab, Director of Hamburg Representative Office UAE, indicated that the "Health Industry Service Centre" reflects the increasing importance of the medical sector in further strengthening North Germany's ties with the Gulf region.

"Services of this centre include the fast-growing countries such as Oman, Saudi Arabia and UAE, which are extensively looking for advanced medical services and technologies outside their national borders," she said.

Staab also explained that the Centre helps "promote Hamburg's and North Germany's excellent therapeutic and medical services and provides adequate information for GCC patients seeking treatment there."

"The Centre", she added, "has been gradually taking hold as a vital link between North Germany and the GCC countries, expanding the longstanding bilateral relations in the healthcare arena."

For further information about Hamburg's healthcare options for international patients, please visit our website: www.healthcare-hamburg.com/

About Norgenta:
Norgenta, the North German Life Science Agency is the project and service company of the federal states Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein that supports life science activities in North Germany. Under the brand name "Life Science Nord" (LSN), the agency initializeslife science activities to set upan internationally competitive cluster. As acentral gateway, LSNalso helps answering all questions concerning biotechnology, medical technology, and pharmaceutical industry. Norgenta initiates strategic projects and servesbusiness-promotion, scientists, and institutions that contribute to raising the profile of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. As cluster manager, it networks the business and research communities in North Germany, drawing selectively on the expertise of universities and research institutes and utilising close contacts to companies in the region. The agency is also responsible for overall presentation and marketing of life sciences in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein both at national and international level. This makes Norgenta the central hub within Life Science Nord.

Located between the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the river Elbe, Life Science Nord is home to

about 500 companies in Biotech, Pharma and MedTech

2 University Medical Centers and more than 150 clinics

5 Universities with Life Science courses

14 technology parks and incubators with focus on Life Sciences

For further information about Norgenta, North German Life Science Agency:

http://www.life-science-nord.net/lsn-international/lsni/

Issued on behalf of the Norgenta, the North German Life Science Agency by bridge:media FZ-LLC, Dubai Media City. For further information, please contact Bashar Antoun:
Tel: (+9714) 375 43 35
Fax: (+9714) 375 45 00
Email: ba@bridge-media.com
Web: http://www.bridge-media.com

© Press Release 2013