At a time of political upheaval in many countries, this report presents hard-to-find facts, figures and statistics on the economic, demographic and health structure of 18 Middle Eastern countries.

Why Middle East, and why now? Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Bahrain, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Syria - hardly a state in North Africa and the Persian Gulf has been untouched by popular demands for political reform. It may be through revolution or political concession, but a wind of change is sweeping through the region. What is less certain is how it will pan out and what the new realities will bring. For exporters of medical equipment and supplies, the region has always presented opportunity and challenge: the wealthy oil-rich states taking social healthcare to the highest of levels in contrast with their non oil-rich neighbours who can be counted amongst the most poorly provided. As the political tide ebbs and flows, it is appropriate to benchmark the state of healthcare provision in each country.

Imports of medical equipment and supplies topped US$5.1 billion in 2009 The first thing to note is a near total reliance on imported products. Only a handful of countries have any noticeable capacity to manufacture even the most basic items. These largely comprise Israel and the more developed states of northern Africa, although some basic capacity also exists elsewhere. Even the bigger producers are reliant on imports for upwards of 90% of their requirements. Elsewhere, in Iraq or Yemen for example, the figure rises to 100%. Imports tend to be sourced from the USA and Europe, principally Germany, France, the UK and Italy. Japan has been a major supplier of diagnostic apparatus in recent years, and China has begun to emerge in a number of countries as a leading supplier of consumables and other items at the lower end of the technology scale. Israel is a major exporter of medical equipment, but does virtually no trade with its neighbours.

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Source: Espicom Business Intelligence Ltd