Healthcare footprint in Iraq expanded by GE

This week at the Arab Health congress, the largest medical trade show and exhibition in the Middle East, GE showcased twenty-one new technologies and solutions aimed at advancing healthcare across the Middle East.
At the show, GE was proud to host a senior delegation from the Iraqi ministry of health for a tour of the GE booth. During the visit, GE reaffirmed its commitment to serving as a strategic partner in the strengthening of Iraq's healthcare sector.
The Ministry of Health, complemented by the efforts of the private sector, is aggressively investing in the execution of Iraq's strategic healthcare development plan, aimed at adding 60,000 new hospital beds; matched by increasing healthcare expenditure per capita as a percentage of total GDP. Bringing the right competencies, relevant technologies and preventative and diagnostic care to the Iraqi people, at the right place and the right time, are among the key priorities of the country's health plan.
David Mezher, General Manager for GE Healthcare in Iraq said, "GE Healthcare continues to operate on the ground and is bringing the best of its capabilities and resources to Iraq to support the transformation of the healthcare system. To that end, over the past 12 months we have doubled our local Healthcare workforce in Iraq, and continue to bring external expertise in hospital design, hospital planning and education. GE Healthcare has trained over 250 Iraqi healthcare professionals in 2014 and is helping to build the skills and competencies of the country's healthcare professionals."
Bringing its renowned technology and innovation leadership, GE Healthcare was recently selected by Universal Acarsan as a key technology provider for the first five new Ministry of Health hospital projects in Southern Iraq.
Here, GE is supplying almost 50 per cent of the medical equipment in these brand new facilities, deploying its advanced Ultrasound, Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance (MR) systems to increase access to advanced diagnostic imaging solutions.
This adds to more than 5,500 GE Healthcare products and technologies already deployed in hospitals and clinics across Iraq.
Awarded 5 of the ten new 400-bed hospital projects in the Southern cities of Hilla, Kerbala, Basrah, Nassiryah and Missan by the Ministry of Health in 2008, Universal Acarsan and its Partners proudly delivered the first completed facility to the Iraqi Ministry of Health and the citizens of Hilla in May 2014. This facility is among some of the first hospitals to be inaugurated in Iraq since the 1980's. To accelerate these projects, GE is bringing to bear the strength of its considerable local installation and service capabilities to operate the five new hospital projects. Once completed, these new facilities will add 2,000 new hospital beds and significantly increase capacity of the healthcare system in the south of the country.
Salim Ajar, President & CEO of Universal Acarsan said, "We are humbled to have been selected by the Ministry of Health to deliver the first of its new hospital projects in Southern Iraq and grateful for the trust of the Ministry in this tremendous undertaking. With the support of our partners including GE Healthcare, as our primary technology partner, are striving towards aggressive targets to deliver these hospitals so that access to essential services can reach patients where it is needed most."
This project sees the introduction of some of GE Healthcare's latest technologies installed in Iraq for the first time, including the Optima* MR360, that increases patient comfort with a new system design and Needle-Free Suite of applications to limit the need for biopsy, contrast and sedation, and the Optima CT580 system that connects with efficient virtual simulation tools combining 4D and multi-modality imaging that seamlessly integrates with treatment planning systems.
In addition to providing a range of medical services across multiple care areas, each of the five new facilities will be established to introduce world-class oncology capabilities in Southern Iraq, addressing the growing incidence and burden of cancer in the country. The facilities will be equipped with linear accelerators that will work in conjunction with GE's CT Radiotherapy units, bringing the latest Radiotherapy solutions to fight aggressive late-stage cancers to Southern Iraq.
In parallel, GE Healthcare is also supporting the Iraq Ministry of Health's efforts to deliver more patient-centered care with the new MR 450W with Silent Scan, to be installed at two Ministry of Health teaching hospitals in Baghdad and two additional hospitals in Southern Iraq.
Silent Scan is a technology designed to address one of the most significant barriers to patient comfort during an MR scan, excessive acoustic noise. Conventional MR scanners can generate noise in excess of 110 dBA (decibels) levels, roughly equivalent to rock concerts, and require ear protection. Silent Scan technology is designed to reduce MR scanner noise to near ambient (background) sound levels and thus improve a patient's MR exam experience.
Present for over 40 years in Iraq, GE in December 2012 opened the GE Healthcare Service Center in Baghdad, which remains a first-of-its-kind hub, servicing GE equipment across the full network of MoH hospitals in Iraq. The GE Healthcare Service Center provides customers with access to expert teams at three repair workshops and a crew of over 40 highly skilled field engineers on hand to deliver service coverage across the country, who provide a 24 hour response time for 80 per cent of inquiries received.