Top Sector Life Sciences & Health
Health~Holland goes international
Top Sector Life Sciences & Health had a busy year with a wide variety of activities. This overview illustrates Top Sector LSH’s main accomplishments in 2017.
Why the Netherlands?
Brazil
China
Colombia
Dubai
Germany
Exploring eHealth opportunities at the most prominent health IT event in Europe
With more than 80 million inhabitants, Germany is the largest healthcare market in the European Union. Ideally located to the east of the Netherlands, it is no surprise that Germany is the number one export destination for Dutch businesses and a great market for companies to start their export activities as well as to further build on already existing activities. Germany shares a number of health challenges with the Netherlands, for example: An ageing population, rising costs of healthcare and a need to quickly and securely share medical information between healthcare providers and patients. As Germany is a large country, eHealth solutions also provide a possible answer to healthcare delivery in rural and structurally weak areas.
To anticipate on possible business opportunities the Task Force Health Care (TFHC), in cooperation with the Netherlands Business Support Office (NBSO) Stuttgart, organised a visitor programme to and during the ConhIT trade fair in Berlin from 24 to 26 April. A Dutch delegation consisting of 15 organisations enjoyed a tailor made visitor programme, which gave a great insight in the German eHealth market in a short period of time and brought the delegation into contact with relevant partners. Alongside their attendance at the ConhIT the delegation visited, among others, the German Ministry of Health and the Alexianer St. Hedwig-Hospital. For more information on activities in Germany click here.
Exporting Dutch Smart Solutions at Medica
Meet the Dutch at the Health~Holland Pavilion
Once again, the world’s biggest medical trade fair Medica, which takes place in Düsseldorf, provided a perfect opportunity for the Dutch Life Sciences & Health sector to present itself. An outstanding Health~Holland pavilion added Dutch Smart Solutions to the well-visited event. With the ‘Meet the Dutch’ activities the pavilion attracted a large number of people again this year.
For each of the four days of the fair, from 13 to 16 November 2017, specialists from all sectors of the health industry ensured that the daily intake of visitors was consistently high at the Health~Holland Pavilion. This year, 29 Dutch organisations formed a prominent orange presence covering more than 300 m2 at the exhibition! In the presence of Secretary General Erik Gerritsen (Ministry of Health, Welfare & Sport) several pitch events and roundtable meetings gave the floor to Walloon, German and Dutch organisations. They pitches their smart solutions. Visitors to the Pavillion were inspired by exciting topics such as digitisation and value-based healthcare. Finding common ground in these topics helped visitors to share knowledge and investigate business opportunities between several nationalities.
Overall, Medica 2017 with our Health~Holland Pavilion and Meet the Dutch activities resulted in many new acquaintances, networking opportunities and future collaboration plans.
Erik Gerritsen described his visit to Medica as: “Very inspiring to be among so much positive energy from the Dutch ecosystem!”
The Task Force Health Care will organise the Health~Holland Pavilion at Medica in 2018.
Kenya
Qatar & Kuwait
Experiencing rapid developments in the Middle East
From the 26th – 29th of November 2017 the Dutch Embassies in Qatar & Kuwait and the Task Force Health Care Middle East (TFHC) organised a Life Sciences & Health (LSH) mission to the Middle East. The Dutch delegation, consisting of eight organisations, was provided excellent opportunities to meet new relevant business contacts and to learn more about the life sciences & health sector in Qatar & Kuwait.
Starting in Doha, the delegation was welcomed by the Deputy Head of Mission and Economic Counsellor at the Dutch Embassy. Visiting the fastest growing healthcare market in the region, it became clear that the country is investing heavily in its healthcare sector in general and in particular to cater to the demand from a growing population. Healthcare is a priority concern for the Qatari leadership. The country will be facing a relatively high rise in demand for healthcare over the course of the next two decades. Besides, receiving this first-hand market information the delegation enjoyed a collective visit to the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), the main provider of secondary and tertiary healthcare in Qatar and one of the leading hospital providers in the Middle East. The private tour presented the Women’s Wellness and Research Center, Ambulatory Care Center and Qatar Rehabilitation Institute and the Qatar Financial Center (QFC). The day was ended with a networking reception with health stakeholders in Qatar, invitees included local and Dutch professionals active in the Qatar healthcare and board members of Dutch Business Council in Qatar.
The Qatari government is constantly upgrading the quality of health services using technology, international expertise and knowledge. During a meeting with the Ministry of Public Health the Qatari announced the continuation of the National Health Strategy (NHS). With the aim to develop a more comprehensive, integrated, preventive, skilled, policy-targeted, affordable and high quality healthcare system, which will improve healthcare access for the population. It is said that the NHS 2017-2022, consists of plans to nearly double the existing number of hospitals and medical centres from 35 to 66 by 2022. Enough reason to visit Sidra Medical and Research Center, Aspetar Hospital and Qatar Red Crescent and get a valuable insights in the rapid developments. The last mentioned, operates from four different hospitals to provide free care for guest workers coming from surrounding countries and are planning to develop a new specialist health centre this year. In a statement Dr. Al-Qahtani of Red Crescent said, “We have plans to upgrade our medical capacity and resources, in order to create a safer and healthier environment that reflects positively on productivity and public health care services. The visit of the Dutch delegation emphasized the great potential for mutual growth through continued coordination”.
Kuwait
As well as Qatar, neighbouring country Kuwait will witness rapid growth in the healthcare sector in the next five years, reflecting heavy investment in the country’s healthcare infrastructure. This will allow the Kuwaiti government to act early to tackle the projected future healthcare requirements. During a presentation of the Ministry of Health, the Dutch delegation was presented with plans to expand public healthcare provisions to meet public demand, including advanced new hospitals and specialist medical centres. The private healthcare market in Kuwait is estimated to grow by 15-20% in the coming years. Several new private hospitals are expected to open adding 1,800 hospital beds. There are currently twenty large-scale mega healthcare projects planned in Kuwait, worth 3.5 billion KD. To complete their visit and form an image of the current development in Kuwait a visit was arranged to the public Al Amiri Hospital and private Mowasat Hospital.
United Kingdom
Exploring Anglo Dutch connections
The UK is a market with over 65 million healthcare dependents. Annually the UK spends more than £140 billion (9% of GDP) on healthcare. To anticipate on a rapid aging population and rising healthcare costs the public National Health Services (NHS) are reorganising the healthcare system.
This increases the need for innovative healthcare solutions, which improve the access, quality and affordability of care. NHS is the largest purchaser of medical equipment and on advocate annually spends approximately £20 billion on products and services. The NHS operates by decentralised purchasing organisations and frameworks to be able to purchase healthcare resources at national- and local level. Cities like Manchester have self-providence of healthcare budgets via ‘Devolution Deals’. Elderly- and social care is not yet provided by the NHS, however private providers cater this demand. The market share of private hospitals is rapidly expanding in the last years, due to long waiting lists, bed blocking and limited options in home care. These and other developments offer more space and opportunities for foreign providers of healthcare solutions.
Therefore, from the 27nd until the 30th of March, the Task Force Health Care in cooperation with NBSO Manchester and the Dutch Embassy joined forces on a health mission to the United Kingdom (London, Birmingham, Manchester) for the Dutch Life Sciences & Health sector. A group of ten healthcare organisations travelled to the United Kingdom to meet with the NHS and various other British healthcare organisations. Additionally, a visit to the NAIDEX the largest UK trade show dedicated to care, rehabilitation, lifestyle of people with a disability was arranged.
United States
A three-day visit to Kenya in search of partnerships & investments
A Dutch healthcare business delegation of about 20 companies visited Nairobi, Kenya from 18 to 21 April 2017, in search of partnerships and investment opportunities in the Kenyan health sector.
This three-day trade mission was meant to deepen knowledge and opportunities for Dutch companies in the Kenyan life sciences and health sector in line with the “Aid to Trade” agenda of the Dutch government. Based on a market study by the Embassy, the Netherlands has identified the health sector in Kenya as a promising market for partnerships and business opportunities. The economic relations between the two are strong; the Netherlands being the third largest export destination of Kenyan products. In the health sector, the relations between the two countries go back a long way.
Strengthened cooperation between public and private parties is crucial to achieve universal health care coverage and Sustainable Development Goals 3. The Dutch government is planning to support the Kenyan government by facilitating cooperation with the private sector regarding primary healthcare, in the framework of the SDG Platform set up by the UN in Kenya. According to the Euro Health Consumer Index, the Netherlands has the best healthcare system in Europe for the seventh year in a row.
The Kenyan healthcare sector is experiencing exiting times partly due to a growing middle class population, which has caused a hugely increased demand for quality accessible healthcare services. However, Kenya’s health sector faces enormous deficiencies in coverage and infrastructure. It is estimated that 32.5 million Kenyans lack any form of basic insurance and are treated in sub-standard facilities. The Dutch delegation consisted of health companies, ranging from, among others, expertise in hospital construction, medical devices, and health financing solutions to training & education.
For more information on the visit programme visit the TFHC website.
Visiting Arab Health
The success formula of the Netherlands in the Middle East
For the 6th time the Holland Pavilion was organised at Arab Health in Dubai. With ten participating Dutch companies the Holland Pavilion provided an excellent opportunity for international professionals to meet companies and experts from the Dutch Life Sciences & Health sector.
This year in addition to the well-known Holland Pavilion, located in the main hall, the Task Force Health Care and the Dutch consulate general in Dubai jointly organised several activities at the annual trade fair on life sciences and healthcare innovation. These were a crowded networking reception for all Dutch healthcare professionals present and a seminar on Healthy Living which featured a variety of speakers to further promote healthy living and discuss how to combat child obesity. Among others the Director General of Curative Care of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport in the Netherlands, Mr Bas van den Dungen and a delegation from the Dubai Ministry of Health shared knowledge and best practice cases on preventive and curative care for children with obesity.
Dutch presence at the China Medical Equipment Fair 2017
At the large and busy China Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF), the Holland Pavilion offered a unique and professional stand with excellent opportunities for the six Dutch exhibitors to showcase their products, services and receive international guests. This way the Netherlands was, once again, guaranteed to stand out from the crowd at this huge fair!
Almost 4,000 medical device manufacturers from over 24 countries, and about 120,000 visitors and buyers who are government procurement agencies, hospital buyers and dealers from over 100 countries and regions gathered for trading and exchanges. For this reason, the CMEF has become the largest professional procurement and trade platform of the medical industry, the best corporate image release ground as well as a professional information distributing centre and an academic and technical exchange platform.
Would you like to know more about this Holland Pavilion at the CMEF? Please contact the Task Force Health Care via jennifer.schrage@tfhc.nl
On a Digital Health mission in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is the world’s best-known place for high-tech innovations and investments. Since there is also a strong link with health it can be said that the San Francisco Bay Area houses one of the most developed and dynamic digital health ecosystems. In order to get acquainted with the latest developments in the US digital health market and to explore opportunities for business and cooperation, a delegation of Dutch digital health companies and organisations visited San Francisco from 5 to 10 November. This mission was organised by Task Force Health Care and NextHealth with the support of InnovationQuarter, Amsterdam Trade and OostNL.
The programme included meetings with several hospitals, amongst others El Camino Hospital and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, as well as with Stanford, Kaiser Permanente and various digital health start-ups and VCs. On the last day a Dutch Digital Health Night was organised at the Consulate General of the Netherlands during which the delegation had the opportunity to introduce their smart solutions to the attending US (digital) healthcare stakeholders.
A roadshow in Colombia with the Dutch
To follow up on recent Colombian-Dutch initiatives in the healthcare sector (fact finding, outbound mission and incoming visits) the Task Force Health Care (TFHC), together with the Holland House Colombia and the Dutch Embassy in Bogotá, organised a Roadshow in Colombia with Dutch participants in the fields of public health, eHealth, medical devices and hospital construction.
The visit was organised to strengthen the relationships, to facilitate cooperation between both businesses and knowledge institutes, and to consolidate Dutch participation in the many opportunities that the strongly improving and developing Colombian healthcare sector present. Ten Dutch organisations had the opportunity to present their smart solution during Dutch-Colombian healthcare seminars with high-level Colombian guests. During field visits, the Dutch delegation was able to work towards projects or business opportunities and were brought in contact with relevant stakeholders / business partners from Bogotá, Calí, Medellín, and Bucaramanga. Additionally, the Colombian programmes to connect former rural conflict areas to good healthcare have proven to be a fruitful basis for Dutch-Colombian collaboration in rural health development. First steps have been made in the development of a pilot commissioned by the local government to introduce Dutch modular healthcare solutions in combination with ICT and capacity building in a northeastern region formerly occupied by FARC.
Guest country at the Hospitalar 2017
Brazil, with its 205 million inhabitants, is the largest healthcare market in Latin America, the third largest private healthcare market worldwide and the seventh largest economy in the world.
The country is experiencing major societal challenges such as a rapidly ageing society, an increase in chronic and lifestyle diseases, and an adaptation of the health system to secure a sustainable financial future. In the innovative state of São Paulo, there are high-quality private and public hospitals such as the Albert Einstein Hospital and Hospital das Clinicas (HC). Moreover 38% of all LSH companies are established in this region.
All in all, enough reasons for the Task Force Health Care (TFHC), in cooperation with the Dutch Consulate General in São Paulo, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, the Ministry of Health, Welfare & Sport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry Education, Culture and Science, and the Ministry Economic Affairs to organise a trade mission to Brazil. From 15 to 20 May, a Dutch delegation consisting of 26 organisationswas present. This unique mission provided the Dutch multiple opportunities to come into contact with business partners and relevant care parties in Brazil. A large number of private and public (university) hospitals, care-related projects and government agencies were visited.
In addition, collective meetings were held with healthcare institutions, such as FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation) and ABIMO (Brazilian Association for Medical Equipment, etc.). All these activities were scheduled around the largest healthcare event of Latin America; Hospitalar 2017. The Netherlands had the honour of being the official guest country and situate its grand Holland Pavilion between the major hospitals at the most prominent place of the trade fair.
For more information on healthcare related activities in Latin America click here.