Lord Darzi promotes UK life sciences in the UAE

UK Business Ambassador Lord Ara Darzi opened the Arab Health 2011 conference in Dubai to promote the UK’s excellence in healthcare manufacture, services, technology and innovation.

UK Business Ambassador Lord Ara Darzi opened the Arab Health 2011 conference in Dubai to promote the UK’s excellence in healthcare manufacture, services, technology and innovation.

Arab Health 2011 is the largest and most prestigious medical trade fair in the Middle East, and is attended by over 66,000 visitors from 141 countries. It is an opportunity for the UK life sciences industry to promote world-leading healthcare technologies and innovations.

Lord Darzi, Chairman of Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI), said:

“The UK has the strongest biotech, healthcare and medical sectors in Europe. With a turnover of £15 billion, it is at the forefront of healthcare innovation. The UK has an interdisciplinary approach to developing and delivering products and services: industry, academia and the National Health Service collaborate to positively transform the lives of patients and clinicians.”

The UK has outstanding scientific researchers and proudly houses four of the world’s top six universities: Cambridge, Imperial College London, Oxford University and University College London. This excellent academic community directly contributes to the success of the UK life sciences industry.

Lord Darzi said:

“The UK already has strong trading relations with countries across the Middle East but we can work even closer together to ensure we can all benefit from the latest UK technologies and medicines.

In a downturn, when economies are challenged, health systems try to find innovative products and services to improve access and quality available to patients while reducing costs.”

Remote sensor for heart disease

Lord Darzi with HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai, UAE.

Obesity is a worldwide health problem. Currently, 70 per cent of the UAE’s population is obese or overweight, with about 70 per cent of its population obese or overweight.

At IGHI’s Hamlyn Centre researchers are developing an innovative small sensor that could be used to monitor patients with chronic and life-style related diseases. The sensor is worn on a person’s ear to measure balance, body posture, activity level, and heart rate. The information is then transmitted wirelessly to a computer or other device where it could be viewed by the patient's health care provider.

The sensor could be used to monitor patients with chronic diseases in their own homes, rather than keeping them on the wards. This could result in reduced costs for healthcare providers.

Lord Darzi was reappointed UK Business Ambassador by the Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010 to promote the UK’s excellence in overseas market.