RIYADH – Saudi Arabia has remained one of the biggest IT markets in the region, with IT expenditure projected to have sustained a 9 percent year-on-year growth reaching $4.1 billion in 2012. The Kingdom's healthcare sector is expected to account for a significant percentage of the Kingdom's massive IT investments, as the Saudi government continues to take advantage of the latest technological advances to address the growing healthcare requirements of the rapidly expanding Saudi population. In 2012 alone, the Kingdoms' healthcare expenditure already reached $24.35 billion, achieving a 16 percent increase compared to the previous year. A substantial percentage of the total expenses was used to purchase specialized e-Health and related IT solutions for healthcare. Moreover, Saudi Arabia allocated $1.74 billion for medical devices in 2012, up 17.8 percent from 2011. Mehmet Bilginsoy, Managing Director, CGM Middle East, said: “The Saudi government has strengthened its investments in technology as part of its commitment to enhance the quality of public services being provided to its citizens. In this regard, improving the technology infrastructure of the healthcare sector is one of the Kingdom's top priorities, which in turn has helped establish Saudi Arabia as one of the most lucrative markets for healthcare IT solutions.” “We are confident that CGM is strongly positioned to cater to Saudi Arabia's growing demand for e-Health solutions that enable healthcare institutions across the Kingdom to vastly improve the quality of their services. We have already provided healthcare IT solutions to several prominent Saudi medical institutions, including King Fahad Medical City,” he added. “Moreover, CGM has been stepping up its efforts to develop more personalized solutions that cater to the unique requirements of the Saudi market” said Thomas Reitmayr, Vice President, Business Development, CompuGroup Medical. CompuGroup Medical is one of the leading e-Health companies in the world. Its software products are designed to support all medical and organizational activities in doctors' offices, pharmacies and hospitals. Its information services for all parties involved in the healthcare system and its web-based personal health records contribute towards safer and more efficient healthcare. CompuGroup Medical's services are based on a unique customer base of over 385,000 doctors, dentists, hospitals, pharmacies and networks as well as other service providers. With locations in 19 countries and customers in 34 countries worldwide, CompuGroup Medical is the e-Health company with one of the highest coverage among e-Health service providers. – SG
