Tell us about your organisation and its journey to date.

GulfDrug’s history has been tied with the early history of healthcare in the UAE since its inception, providing for hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and other institutions in all of the UAE. GulfDrug was established in 1969, initially starting as a pharmaceutical importer and then branching into other medical categories. Since then, it has progressed side by side with the development, growth and maturity of the healthcare sector in the country.

How has the organisation evolved to address the challenges of an ever-changing healthcare sector? Please list some accomplishments.

GulfDrug has evolved a lot over the last 52 years. We have been investing heavily over the past five decades in our infrastructure, systems, innovation, and people to create and provide reliable quality and value to our customers, partners and stakeholders, while raising the standard of healthcare industry across the country. These investments have enabled us to deliver and complete one of the region’s largest hospitals, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC).

Give us an insight into your portfolio and solutions targeted at the Middle East region.

GulfDrug has one of the most diverse portfolios in the UAE, comprising of pharma, medical equipment, robotics, pharmacy automation, turnkey solutions, design and build, medical devices and consumables, laboratory, veterinary and consumer healthcare. This year, we will be focusing more on innovations in robotics, AI in healthcare and hospital automation.

Tell us about your recent and upcoming investments and partnerships in this field.

Recently, we opened our new Logistics Facility and our latest headquarters in the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD). The state-of-the-art facility will also host one of our service centres for our teams. We will continue investing in our engineers and staff, whom we believe are our most valuable assets. We have certain partnerships in progress that we will announce in due time.

What will you be showcasing at Arab Health 2023?

We have a massive portfolio on display, but to name a few here: Robotic surgery from CMX, Neonatal care from Draeger Medical, 6008 Fresenius Dialysis machine, 3T MRI from Canon and the new Pacemakers from Abbott. Add to it GulfDrug’s welcoming hospitality, which has always been a crowd-puller.

In addition to the above, what opportunities are you looking forward to Arab Health?

Arab Health has always been an excellent event to allow both our customers and suppliers to meet and learn first-hand what is possible and understand the newest innovations available in healthcare.

Please tell us about your plans for the year 2023.

We will continue to invest in our people, operations and infrastructure to bring the best of what healthcare has to offer to everyone residing in the UAE, for generations to come. Stay safe, stay healthy and see you at Arab Health.