Kuwait Digital Health Market Analysis

Kuwait Digital Health Market Executive Summary

Kuwait's Digital Health market is projected to grow from $xxBn in 2022 to $xxBn by 2030, registering a CAGR xx% during the forecast period of 2022-30. Healthcare spending for Kuwait in 2019 was $1,759 per person, which was a 1.43% increase from $1,734 per person in 2018 as per the World Health Organization Global Health Expenditure database. Share of current healthcare spending funded by domestic private sources. Domestic private sources include funding from individuals, organizations, and non-profit groups. These expenses might be prepaid through optional health insurance or paid directly to healthcare providers.

Kuwait has also invested in telehealth to expand access to healthcare solutions. The government has been attempting to create telemedicine facilities around the country as well as training healthcare professionals to use telemedicine technologies. They have been working to digitize medical records, implement electronic prescribing, and develop a national health information exchange system. Kuwait has also invested in the production of mHealth solutions, such as appointment booking, health information, and telemedicine mobile apps. This is intended to increase residents’ convenience and accessibility to healthcare services.

In May 2021, Amiri Hospital, one of Kuwait's most recognized medical institutions, pioneered new technologies and standards in digital health, telemedicine, and in-patient care in Kuwait by using innovative network architecture from Aruba, a Hewlett-Packard Enterprise business.

Market Dynamics

Market Growth Drivers

To begin, the Kuwaiti authorities have been actively investing in digital health to improve health care and to satisfy the rising expectations of its population. This involves digitizing medical records, implementing computerized prescriptions, and creating a nationwide health information-sharing system. Other factors such as the rapidly growing population in Kuwait have led to increasing demand for healthcare services, and technological breakthroughs such as the expansion of cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence are enabling the creation of more complex digital health solutions, which in turn promotes the growth of Kuwait’s digital health market.

Market Restraints

The digital health market in Kuwait is still in its initial phases, and there are many challenges to overcome, such as a lack of awareness among physicians and patients, and a lack of data protection and security. Personal health information is important and requires strong data security procedures to prevent it from unwanted access, however many digital health systems in Kuwait may lack acceptable security safeguards and need for more regulations and guidelines to ensure the country's wider adoption of digital health services. Moreover, the high costs of developing and maintaining digital health systems might be daunting for healthcare professionals and patients, particularly those in low-income areas.

Competitive Landscape

Key Players

• IBM: IBM Watson Health a division of IBM that offers a variety of digital health solutions including EHR, population health management, precision medicine, medical imaging, and virtual health through AI and other advanced technologies
• GE Health: A leading provider of medical imaging, health monitoring, and digital health solutions throughout the world
• Cerner: It is a major player in the digital health market, offering electronic health records (EHR) and other clinical information systems.
• HOTLife: HOT Technologies provides a reward-based fitness training app
• Tabeeby: A mobile app that provides audio/video consultation services with doctors. Users may use the app to communicate with various medical professionals from the comfort of their own homes
• Iclinic IO: The company's solution supports in appointment scheduling, patient medical data administration, appointment rescheduling, and patient check-in and check-out

Healthcare Policies and Regulatory Landscape

Kuwait's Ministry of Health (MOH) is the primary healthcare body in charge of creating and implementing digital health policy in the country. Additionally, the MOH works closely with other government agencies and organizations, such as the Kuwait Institute for Medical Specialization (KIMS) and the Kuwait Medical Association (KMA), to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare services in the country. The MOH also collaborates with private sector organizations to create and implement digital health initiatives, such as healthcare providers and digital health technology suppliers.

Reimbursement Scenario

The Ministry of Health (MOH) of Kuwait is in charge of supervising healthcare reimbursement, including compensation for digital health services. The Ministry of Health collaborates closely with the Ministry of Finance to create and execute healthcare reimbursement regulations, especially those pertaining to digital health services. In Kuwait, reimbursement is mostly based on a fee-for-service paradigm, in which healthcare providers bill payers for each service provided. However, the government has been attempting to implement the value-based reimbursement system, which is gaining popularity throughout the world, in order to guarantee that compensation is based on the quality and results of the treatments delivered, rather than the number of services supplied.