Health and Wellness Theme Week

27 January – 2 February marked Health and Wellness Week at Expo 2020, Dubai. These past two years, more than ever, have highlighted the intrinsically inter-dependent nature of our global community as the Covid-19 pandemic stretched our healthcare systems to their very limits.

The pandemic shone light on the necessity of a global response to a global issue and highlighted the inequities in healthcare systems around the world. Ireland, during this time, proudly championed the inception of COVAX and worked to support it in bridging the international vaccine divide.

Expo 2020 and the Health and Wellness Week has offered the opportunity and platform for international dignitaries and healthcare specialists alike to address the greatest challenges and opportunities currently facing our healthcare systems, including those posed by Covid-19. This past week saw Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly’s official visit to Expo 2020, where in addition to Expo engagements, the Minister attended numerous bilateral and trade events organised by Enterprise Ireland.

These engagements included attendance at Arab Health, one of the world’s leading healthcare exhibitions, which this year featured the work of 20 Irish MedTech companies. Minister Donnelly also met with the UAE Minister for Health, CEO of the Dubai Health Authority, prominent members of the UAE health sector, and attended the signing ceremony between the Dubai Ambulance Service and Irish company ACETECH. The Minister also spoke on the topic of building a culture of health at the workplace during Covid-19 and beyond at the flagship Health and Wellness Thematic Week Business Forum at Expo.

Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic pushed our healthcare systems to extremes; it also exposed opportunity for development within global health. The past two years revealed the crucial importance of digital health in providing quality healthcare in Ireland and abroad. The diverse range of government leaders and healthcare experts present at Expo during Health and Wellness week provided a space for rich discussion concerning the development of new technologies in efficient and effective healthcare provision.

As the second-largest exporter of MedTech products in Europe, Ireland plays a crucial role in the future direction of health and social care services globally. The innovation and dynamism of the 20 Irish MedTech companies present at Arab Health provides great insight into the range of tools that Ireland has to offer in the future development of healthcare systems around the world.