* Healthymagination is GE's $6 billion global commitment to bring high quality health care at lower cost to more people around the world through advanced technologies and research and development capabilities
* GE Healthcare is Platinum Sponsor of main exhibition and Commercial Gold supporter of three key conferences at this year's Arab Health congress
* GE's strengths in delivering innovative solutions relevant to region to be showcased at the Middle East's premier healthcare expo
Dubai, UAE; December 29, 2009: GE Healthcare, the healthcare business of General Electric Company (GE), highlights 'healthymagination,' the company's commitment to a sustainable healthcare initiative with a focus on earlier diagnosis through innovative technologies, products and solutions, at Arab Health 2010. The Middle East's premier healthcare expo will be held from January 25 to 28, 2010, at the Dubai International Convention Center.
GE Healthcare is the Platinum Sponsor of the exhibition and the Commercial Gold supporter of three key conferences on Anesthesia, Molecular Imaging & Nuclear Medicine and Middle East Imaging and Diagnostics, being held on the sidelines of the event.
The focus of GE will be to highlight their commitment to creating technology to deliver healthier experiences for the caregiver and the patient. This complements the 'healthymagination' approach helping patients live longer, healthier lives by lowering costs, touching more lives and improving quality of healthcare delivery.
Aziz Koleilat, General Manager at GE Healthcare for the Middle East region, said GE's participation in Arab Health reiterates the company's commitment to support and partner in the healthcare sector of the Arab world. "We are very pleased to be a part of Arab Health again this year and privileged to present to industry experts, institutions and the public the latest GE Healthcare innovations and highlight our commitment to 'healthymagination'. Arab Health is a definitive platform for the medical professionals and the industry in the region, providing GE Healthcare the opportunity to highlight our advanced technologies and solutions at the exhibition."
He added: "People want to receive care on a priority basis either at a primary care level or at home - and innovative technologies will help us to achieve this. Led by this need, we expect to form stronger public and private partnerships that will enable the effective transformation of healthcare delivery across the region."
According to estimates by independent agencies, healthcare costs in the Arab world are expected to grow five-fold to US$60 billion by 2025 with cardiac care being one of the most expensive. "Earlier diagnosis is of critical importance in reducing the cost of healthcare delivery," explained Koleilat.
GE Healthcare will showcase an extensive range of new Healthymagination Ultrasound products; system expansions and breakthroughs at Arab Health. Among the highlights are Venue 40®, the first product in GE's new Venue miniaturized ultrasound product line, and also the first new product validated under GE's healthymagination initiative -- dedicated to improving the quality, access and cost of healthcare.
Another breakthrough innovation that will drive early diagnosis is MR-Touch, a visual palpation device that uses low frequency mechanical sound waves in combination with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to measure tissue elasticity. MR-Touch is a certified healthymagination product.
Visitors can also get an overview of Gemstone Spectral Imaging (GSI) for CT. Spectral Imaging marks a new generation of computed tomography (CT) imaging -- allowing for an effective and efficient diagnosis. One major clinical advantage of Spectral Imaging is to aid in the characterization of lesions. In cases where Spectral Imaging avoids additional diagnostic tests, healthcare costs and patient anxiety can be avoided.
"These technologies underscore GE's thought-leadership in understanding the health challenges facing the region and addressing those needs with imaging solutions including mammography, which is of crucial importance to the Middle East region," added Koleilat. "In addition to lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart conditions and obesity-related problems, the region also has reported high incidence of breast cancer*. Through earlier diagnosis, these problems can potentially be addressed effectively."
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* Mortality rate among breast cancer patients in the UAE is 44 percent compared to only 27 percent in more developed countries - * (National Cancer Registry -- Tawam Hospital in Affiliation with John Hopkins University)
Note to Editors
About GE Healthcare:
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.
Our "healthymagination" vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality and efficiency around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a US$17 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.
Kelly Home
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
[email protected]
+971 4 4507 600
Nivine William
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
[email protected]
+971 4 4507 600