• GE Healthcare's advanced technologies support the sector's growth in line with the Saudi Ministry of Health's strategic objectives
• The Platinum Sponsor of the event, GE Healthcare showcases solutions that help address challenge of rising incidence of lifestyle diseases and strengthen hospital infrastructure
Riyadh - GE Healthcare's focus on integrated healthcare delivery is being highlighted at Saudi Health 2015, the premier healthcare exhibition to be held from May 18 to 20, at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center.
GE Healthcare, a Platinum Sponsor of the event and a long-term partner in the healthcare sector of the Kingdom, wants to enable its customers to offer comprehensive patient care using its advanced suite of technologies that specifically address Saudi Arabia's requirements. Aligned with the Ministry of Health's strategy to boost healthcare infrastructure, GE Healthcare is partnering with public and private sector providers to enhance level of care, promote early diagnosis of lifestyle diseases and thus potentially reduce healthcare bills.
Saudi Arabia is placing the highest priority on healthcare and social affairs, which accounts for nearly 20% of its 2015 budget, with record allocation of over SAR 160 billion. Some 27 new hospitals and healthcare facilities are being developed in addition to the ongoing construction of over 117 hospitals and medical cities to add over 24,000 hospital beds.
Mazen Dalati, President & CEO for GE Healthcare in Saudi Arabia, said: "Saudi Health presents us a strategic platform to demonstrate how our innovative solutions and latest technology can enhance operational efficiency and patient care. Our competencies are clearly aligned with the strategy of the Ministry of Health to improve healthcare infrastructure through new hospitals, high quality care delivery, integrating eHealth platforms and overall enhancement to the patient journey.
"The Kingdom has achieved significant milestones in healthcare delivery, however, with increasing population and the increasing incidence of lifestyle diseases, a qualitative shift to earlier diagnosis as well as advanced care are important. At Saudi Health, we are putting the spotlight on our comprehensive model of healthcare covering all disciplines - from advanced diagnostic solutions to offering turnkey hospital infrastructure services. This is reflected in our theme, 'Advancing Healthcare Together.'"
A walk-through of GE Healthcare's pavilion at Saudi Health offers visitors insights into the modern hospital environment with special sections dedicated to different medical specialties. Offering insights into the modern hospital environment, GE Healthcare's pavilion includes dedicated segments for cardiology, woman & child care, oncology, radiology, critical care, the operating room and other advanced solutions.
Among other innovative technologies, new products in Woman and Child Health and Critical Care are being highlighted at Saudi Health 2015. According to estimates by UNDP*, the Kingdom has achieved strong progress in reducing under-five mortality rate by over 55% from 1990 to 2010. Infant mortality rate has also reduced, an improvement of over 50% over 1990 levels. GE Healthcare's new technologies have the potential to accelerate maternal and child care, in line with the goals of the Ministry.
The Voluson E10, a new 4D high-performance ultrasound system, is an advanced technology by GE Healthcare featuring the world's first curved matrix electronic 4D probe, designed specifically for obstetric and gynecological applications. Aside from parent-pleasing spectacular detailed color images of an unborn child, Voluson E10 allows clinicians to monitor a child's brain and heart development from as early as the first trimester. The 4D probe uses more than 8,000 piezoelectric crystals to electronically steer the ultrasound beam and provide improved clarity and speed.
Another new technology being showcased by GE Healthcare at Saudi Health 2015 is CARESCAPE R860, an intuitive Critical Care ventilator which uses advanced lung protection tools and an innovative user interface to help improve patient care. According to research, 24% of all patients mechanically ventilated will develop Ventilator Induced Lung Injury for reasons other than acute lung injury (ALI) or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)**. The CARESCAPE R860 simplifies the use of advanced tools to tailor treatment for each patient by measuring patients' lung volume to allow better oxygenation.
To address incidence of cardiac health concerns through early diagnosis, GE Healthcare is showcasing its breakthrough Revolution CT, a first-of-its-kind computed tomography (CT) system, combining wide coverage, high spatial resolution and high temporal resolution technology into an 'all in one' CT system. It captures a motion free image of the human heart in just one beat. This innovative technology enables clinicians to non-invasively visualize the human heart more clearly than ever before, and diagnose more patients with erratic or high heart beats.
Five Revolution CT systems have been deployed in the Kingdom recently at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, King Saud Medical City and at the National Guards Cardiac Center, amongst others.
With over 25 years of operations in Saudi Arabia, today, over 20,000 GE Healthcare technologies are deployed across the Kingdom's hospitals. To support localization and Saudi human capital development for the healthcare sector, GE Healthcare and King Fahad Medical City have signed a definitive agreement to set up a comprehensive 'Healthcare Skills Training Institute' within KFMC, as part of GE's US$1 billion investment commitment in the Kingdom.
*Source: http://www.sa.undp.org/content/saudi_arabia/en/home/mdgoverview/overview/mdg4.html
** 24 percent of all patients mechanically ventilated will develop Ventilator Induced Lung Injury for reasons other than acute lung injury (ALI) or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) 2. GE supports scientific belief that a lung protection strategy can help ensure the different zones of lungs receive the treatment they need, thus potentially reducing these adverse events3.
2 International consensus conferences in intensive care medicine: Ventilator-associated Lung Injury in ARDS. This official conference report was cosponsored by the American Thoracic Society, The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine, and The Societé de Réanimation de Langue Française, and was approved by the ATS Board of Directors, July 1999. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1999; 160:2118
3 Villar J, Kacmarek RM, Pérez-Méndez L, Aguirre-Jaime A A high positive end-expiratory pressure, low tidal volume ventilatory strategy improves outcome in persistent acute respiratory distress syndrome: a randomized, controlled trial. Crit Care Med. 2006 May;34(5):1311-8.
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For more information, please contact:
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