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Report of

Arab Health Exhibition and Congress

28-31 January 2019

Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai UAE

Prepared by:

John FUNG

Business Director

The Hong Kong Council of Social Service

WONG Tsz Kwan, Vivian

Operations General Manager

Haven of Hope Christian Services

Date of Submission: 8 May 2019

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1. Introduction

The "Arab Health" 2019 is a major health care exhibition in the Middle East area, and one of

the largest shows of the same nature in the world. It has a total exhibition floor space of

close to 65,000 sqm accommodating 4000+ exhibitors from 66 countries. Given that the city

Dubai, and the country United Arab Emirates (UAE) does not have a strong manufacturing

industry when it comes to health care equipment. The Arab Health was more an 'import

show'. Products and solutions were mostly from other parts of the world. Only 11% of all

exhibitors were from the Middle East area. 40% of exhibitors were from the Europe while

35% of the exhibitors were from Asia. There were a total of 39 'Country Pavilions' in the

exhibition. Digital audience of 50,000+ was recorded considering Facebook followers alone.

In terms of visitors, around 50% were from the 7 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries,

namely Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen.

While about 17% were from Asia, visitors from Africa constituted around 10%.

Unlike GIES in Hong Kong, which is a public education show, Arab Health is more a business

/trade show. 82% of the exhibitors aimed at seeking new contacts for future business and

97% of the visitors considered the show as an important platform to attend for their business.

Visitors are mostly having the background of dealers/distributors; hospitals; government;

and manufacturers.

Apart from attending the exhibition, delegates also attended the Innov8 area where startups

were given time to introduce their products in seminars and exhibition booths. There was

also a best presenter prize in every day.

Moreover, the delegation also attended a meeting with the HK office of Trade Development

Council with a purpose to understand how trades in this area between HK and the many

international manufacturers/solution providers could be promoted. The delegation left with

the TDC office information about GIES2019 for promotion purpose.

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2. Product Highlights

Despite the fact that the Arab Health has a strong medical flavor, delegates managed to find

some relevant companies and products deeply hidden amongst the myriad booths of medical

equipments and ambulances. The following constitute a selected collection:

2.1 Biofeedback

There is a wide range of products and company around the technology of biofeedbacks. In

general their applications could be in the area of cognitive training, sports training, education,

rehabilitation and/or general relaxation and meditation. One of such implementation is the

"Rehacor" series by the company Medicom MRD, a research and development company in

Russia. The sensors will capture around 10 or more physiological parameters for biofeedback

and neurofeedback procedures by EEG and superslow electrical brain activity using

quantitative methods of analysis. The software interface will present scenarios to facilitate

the training/relaxation, and allegedly it also works well in correcting some psychosomatic

disorders. The delegation tried it with intense interests and it seems that it has good

potential to be adopted in a range of services / NGOs in Hong Kong which deals with primary

health promotion and rehabilitation. Apparently, although the machine has a user-friendly

interface, and wireless connection to the PCs, it might need paramedical professionals for

fine tuning the scenarios and perhaps interpret the resulting charts correctly.

Website: http://www.telia-med.com/en/reakor-bos.html

2.2 Incontinence

The problem of incontinence prevails especially amongst the elderly population. Amongst

the many methods to help address the problem, using magnetic wave to stimulate the pelvis.

The NOVAmag NT-60, product of Novamedtek, an Turkish company is one of them. It delivers

pulsed magnetic field to the pelvic floor muscles of an incontinence patient. The pulsed

magnetic field depolarizes the pelvic floor nerves and muscles, providing, in essence, pelvic

muscle exercises without effort from the patient who is sitting on the treatment chair. The

stimulation therapy carried out by NOVAmag NT-60 can act as a useful addition to

conservative therapies for stress and urge incontinence. A typical therapy takes 6 weeks

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with 3 sessions per week. Each session lasts for 20 minutes. The patient receives the

treatment fully clothed. Although it was claimed that there would be no side effects and that

using the chair should be quite straight forward. It should be taken caution that pregnant

persons and patients with pace-makers or metallic/electronic devices installed should avoid

using the chair. With careful administering, the chair could likely be considered in many

social services settings for elderly care and people with disabilities.

Website: http://novamedtek.com/sayfah.aspx?pid=9&Lang=EN&Cid=3&M=A

2.3 Mind Control Car

The delegation was attracted to a booth advertised as mind controlled car. The R&D around

the brain-wave technology is quite well developed in Europe, and in fact a smart wheelchair

is working in a lab of Lausanne. When the delegation arrived at the booth, there was a bit of

disappointment that it was merely a demonstration of concept. Brain wave was used to

control the movement of a toy train. Delegates tried on the brain wave control for the first

time and it only worked in a very simple way. When the controller concentrated on one

thought up to a point, despite what the thought was, the train moved. When the

concentration was lowered, the toy train stopped moving. Once again, that was an

implementation of the EEG (Electroencephalography) technology. Along that line, further

development could lead to a range of applications suitable to be deployed by paraplegic

patients or those who for some reasons are weak physically but still having a strong and

sound mind. We should try to be watchful of those developments.

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2.4 Toileting aids

There is a range of available tools already offering help in toileting. That tool the delegation

ran into was about reducing pain of knee join, preventing falling in toilet and offering

assistance in standing up from the toilet seat. LINK-MAMA Standing Assistance Robot Chair is

developed by a Korean company LINKOPTICS. It has a simple user interface, user friendly

remote control, neat design and is quite easy to use. Its application could both be at home

and elderly institution and would be especially meaningful to patients suffering from arthritis.

Its flexible design provides easy attachment and detachment to various shapes of toilet seats

and commode. While it gives control back to the user himself in doing standing up and

seating down (empowerment in action), there is also an emergency button built in just in

case the user needs to call for help.

2.5 Helping Dementia patients

Helping people with cognitive disorders relax through soothing music and tactile stimulation

can have a beneficial effect on their wellbeing and quality of life. The Wellness Nordic Relax

Chair is designed for that purpose. The delegation tried on that chair and found that the

u-shaped cushion, the weighted blanket, the soothing music and the quiet motion all

combined to offer a calm-down experience. It seems that the company has a representative

in Hong Kong and there is a high chance for it to be shown in GIES. The beds could be a

useful tool for facilities specially designed for demented persons, such as day care centres

and elderly homes.

Website: https://www.arjo.com/int/products/medical-beds/wellness--relaxation/

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2.6 Portable rehabilitation tools

There was a wide range of portable rehabilitation tools shown in Arabhealth available for

trial. Wearable sensors along side with the user interface connected to PC would be able to

help clients to perform accurately, by fine tuning the motion according to the feedback seen

on screen. In some cases, there are features to enable therapists to assign exercises, then

clients could use the tools on their own to carry out those exercises in the absence of the

therapists. Therefore such tools also have implications on how limited resources of

paramedical staff could be most cost-effectively used in Hong Kong. Amongst the many, the

delegation tried on H200, product of a Netherland company Bioness, and Bimeo Pro, product

of a Slovenir company called Kinestica, which assist upper limb rehabilitation. There was also

Re-flex， a company at Vienna, Austria which therapists can used to assist rehabilitation of

the lower limbs. All three having good potentials for being applied for home-based

rehabilitation.

Website: https://www.reflex.help/

Website: https://www.bioness.com/Products/H200_for_Hand_Paralysis.php

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Website: http://www.kinestica.com/bimeo-pro.html

2.7 Diabetes Management

Cellnovo is a French company that helps diabetes patients to manage their blood sugar, food,

and insulin intake. It has a system attached to the skin to detect and monitor the blood sugar

level, online transmitted to caretaker and medical professional at the back end, and there is

also a insulin pump connect all through bluetooth. All with simple colourful interface

accessible through smart phone. As the percentage of elderly persons having diabetes is 6

times that of the mainstream population. That tool set will be relevant to a large group of

potential users in Hong Kong in theory.

Website: https://www.cellnovo.com/en/homepage

2.8 Cardiac Rehabilitation with Multi-trainer

The Multi-trainer is designed to conduct cardiac rehabilitation programs, evaluate the cardiovascular function of a patient with CAD and define the type and load/HR control for cardiac exercise trainings using:

• Resting ECG

• Heart rate variability

• Exercise testing (stress test on bicycle ergometer or treadmill)

The Multi-trainer has the versatile software in managing training sessions and controlling the

individual parameters of up to 16 patients. The ECG signal could be transferred from ECG

device to physiotherapist’s workstation via Bluetooth while it allows patient with free

mobility and data collected for analysis through algorithm. In fact, all the training protocols

can be adjusted on-the-fly. Using this mode, the patient’s status can simultaneously be

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assessed during the training by displaying on the screen with parameters like ECG traces,

training session chart, averaged QRS, ST displacement chart, BP and HR measurements.

Having the use of system tools, data could be set for easy viewing in tabular or chart format.

As a result, a customized exercise training reports like the patient data of training phases,

rhythm events, events earmarked during the training together with reference values and

exercise training outcomes could be made through the system.

2.9 ToGU Disc 2.0

The multiaxial patented platform provides training for all performance levels and ages. The

built-in motion sensor transfers measurement data to end-devices using Bluetooth 4.0. The

stable base plate and stand plate with anti-slip coating on the surface in addressing safety by

design.

Features of the Challenge Disc App are enlisted as below:

The challenge Disc app allows to perform selective exercises – systematically, efficiently and in a targeted manner.

The coordination/balance test and training app with Bluetooth 4.0 sensor technology for connections to devices as in Win, Mac, Android and IOS .

Website: https://www.togu.de/en/Shop/Specials-innovations/Challenge-Disc-2-0.html

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2.10 Man&Tel

Man&Tel introduces us a series of trainer systems for seniors. In particular interest to me,

there is one namely whole body trainer. The composite exerciser for strengthening muscle

power of upper and lower limb, for improving balance ability

& cognitive ability for the aged person and rehabilitation patient. The rehabilitation patient

can exercise pleasantly with the various training contents. These contents are designed in

such a way to sense the movement of upper limb as well as lower limb balance. Besides,

there are also muscle power exercise and balance ability exercise. The sets of rehabilitation

treatment equipment to improve the condition of body by training of shift of center of

weight horizontally and bending the knee joints vertically for the patient who needs lower

limb rehabilitation. It has the assessment on body function by measuring the difference of

left and right weight and the degree of bending the knee joints.

Website: http://www.manntel.com/

2.11 Morning Talk

Morning Talk is an end-effector type gait rehabilitation robot with a saddle in addressing

typical discomfort from conventional rehabilitation robots. It is developed by Curexo, a

medical robotic company. Benefits of Morning Walk:

To patient: - Robotic recovery care with its mechanical design to minimize preparation time &

wearing apparatus.

To medical staff: - There is a system to quantify therapeutic data. - Planning therapy protocols is based on various walking patterns.

Website: http://www.curexo.com/

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2.12 Fibricheck

Fibricheck is the kind of technologies with use of smartphone and smartwatches to identify Atrial Fibrillation in a noninvasive way and without the need for conventional medical hardware was given to know through Innov8 Talks. It composes with two main components: an app for the patient and an interface for the physician. The app requires no other additional hardware but uses the camera of the smartphone to detect small changes in light absorption in the subcutaneous capillaries of the fingertip to measure cardia rhythm. Patients could install the application on their own smartphone, making it easy for them to use it anywhere and anytime. FibriCheck could allow ambulatory heart rate and rhythm measurements with duration settings. The measurement principle is based on the blood volume pulse variations measured in the fingertip. Fibricheck is monitoring each beat-to-beat interval with the accuracy possible to define what kind of arrhythmia is present. Having machine learning algorithms that automatically interpret results and output towards the healthcare professional to confirm the findings, it enables the AF management in an advance manner. It could become a cost-effective case-finding initiative.

Website: https://fibricheck.com/

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3. The Innovation Hub

Innovation Hub is one of its kind at the Arab Health Congress and Exhibition where it

provided an opportunity for companies to display and demonstrate their new products and

innovations. Working together with key influential stakeholders, the hub provided a

dedicated showcase area for start-ups, entrepreneurs and innovators to participate at the

Innovation Showcase. Inside the Hub, there was a theatre namely The Innov8Talks allowing

participants to hear, learn and discover with the start-ups and entrepreneurs who presented

their healthcare innovations to industry experts and potential investors. Witness the most

innovative startups showcasing their future driven ideas.

One prominent eye-catching zone was the 3D Medical Printing Zone allowed me to see live

3D Printing of Medical Models in FDM technology and sample models of prosthetic, orthotics,

anatomical models, dental models and surgical guides.

4. Observation and implications to Hong Kong

4.1 3D Printing Technology

Printing technology medical devices can now match to the exact specifications of a

person/patient. Designs with individual’s natural anatomical devices modeled from

patient-specific dimensions have shown greater acceptance by the body, increased comfort

and improved performance outcomes. The versatility provided by the 3Dprinting gives

medical practitioners ability to provide patients the most advanced care while,

simultaneously minimizing the risk of complication in patients that meet specific medical

requirements. Currently, the most significant work in this space includes external prosthetics,

orthopedic implants, and etc. Work in prosthetics and other bodily implants is also gaining

the speed with some cleared for the commercial market. The technology has also been

found helpful in surgical planning. To date, the technology has been used for many

complicated heart surgeries, and even the Cleveland Clinic’s most recent total face transplant.

With its widening healthcare applications, 3D printing is increasing the attention to detail in

patient care.

3D printed devices matching anatomical features of patients are better accepted by the body

minimizing the risk of complications. Significant advancements in 3D printing technology

have been observed in external prosthetics, orthopedic implants and etc.

With wide and open applications of 3D printing across the world, it would be exciting for

dentistry to consider 3D printing on dental items which our elderly may benefit with more

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comfortable fitting and adoption to its use which results with better food intake in preserving

muscle mass and mobility.

4.2 Artificial intelligence (AI)

In healthcare, AI is making its way in applications on decision support, image analysis and

patient triage. Physicians could therefore base on improved scans in terms of its accuracy,

availability and analysis making smarter decisions at the point of care, improving the ease

and accuracy of viewing scans and reducing physician burnout. For instance, machine

learning algorithms have the ability to highlight problem areas on images, aiding in the

screening process and quickly relaying volumes of data within physician’s electronic medical

record system (EMRS).

The use of artificial intelligence in healthcare is presented and displayed at its many

applications in decision support, image analysis and patient triage. The conference has

shown the potential of AI transforming the investigative data through improved efficiencies

and how diagnosis can be revolutionized through futuristic technologies such as data robots.

Medical companies develop new technologies with artificial intelligence to diagnose diseases

from telltale groups of symptoms, strange patterns in blood tests, and the subtle

abnormalities that cells display as a disease begins. In Innov8 talks, it is come to learn AI

systems found to pick up signs of illness that are unknown to health care providers. This

evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine learning could become an integral part of

daily lives in terms of applications in many places overseas. As a practicing provider on

primary health care in Hong Kong, it is excited to have this technology application for

launching more preventive schemes and pre-emptive measures in taking place.

For patients with severely restricted mobility, AI integrated Robotic wheelchairs can function

with the help of facial recognition. The robotic wheelchair powered by facial recognition

technology enables people with disabilities who cannot drive a motorized wheelchair using

their hands to control it using just facial movement. It is believed that this new technology

may be considerable for more widely use in Hong Kong so that it makes more severely

restricted people’s lives easier to greater drive of one’s mobility.

Another technology on AI-based eye screening program as supported by Google has

launched in Thailand to detect diabetic eye disease. In Hong Kong, facing with same aging

and prevalence of chronic diseases, its benefits equally prominent to take earlier

precautionary measures and drawing the public attention in prevention actions.

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4.3 Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and mixed reality

VR software motivates patients for better rehabilitation progress. It provides customized

interface to visualize movement and training status. Gait parameter tracking is available.

Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and mixed reality are changing the modes of treatment

with innovative therapies for better patient/users experiences. Improved applications of

AR/VR are likely to be in emergency response, prevention and diagnosis, medical education,

surgery, elder care and rehabilitation and emotional recovery. In such context, it is come to

note that Dome and 4D cave has been widely emerged in community and corporate setting

to promote occupation and safety as well as home safety awareness. This way would once

again serve as prevention program for the public as of today’s application in Hong Kong.

4.4 Data science and predictive analytics

Data science and predictive analysis is helping healthcare providers in analyzing huge

information generated by the growing number of patients. Feeding the information in

AI-based systems, physicians/health care providers can make quicker decisions. Further

advancements in predictive analysis will help physicians address ailments endemic to a

particular region, families and communities. More integration of data from IoMT is

expected to create further detailed models to identify high-risk patients and reduce the

chance of negative outcomes.

4.5 Internet of Things (IoT)

The internet of Medical Things (IoMT) integrated healthcare tech, wearables, apps and

telemedicine. As remote patient monitoring is gaining popularity, IoMT has been

experiencing significant growth since last couple of years. In 2019, it is likely to see more

innovative features and expanded usage. Leveraging the connected devices, it is also

possible to monitor high-risk patients alerting them as required. Patients aware of this

continuous monitoring are likely to follow a regulated lifestyle. With greater deployment of

IoMT devices in near future, it is most of the readiness for Hong Kong people in the

community to adopt in view of existing high acceptance of home-monitoring devices and

wearables on personal fitness and general health conditions.

5. Insights gained

5.1 Merger of the oldest profession and the newest technology

Dubai is very advance in its medical and health area, at least from national health

infrastructure level, for example the application of genomics. DNA screening for rare

deceases has been applied to all new born babies as a national program. What was most

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impressive was that the Arabhealth show itself also seemed to be a big promoter of

application of technology. Some conveners of seminars, senior surgeons and/or medical

profession even told the audience that physicians nowadays only have two options, either

quit their jobs or be prepared to work with human/machines or robotics more in the near

future. A good number of seminars were around the areas of Genomics, application of Big

Data and Artificial Intelligence. The medical and health field constitutes the oldest profession

on the planet. Its speedy tech-transformation and experience would for sure be a good

reference for us the social service profession in walking along the same track.

5.2 Assistive technology + community rehabilitation. Hospitals alone cannot make it

There is an upsurge of rehabilitation tools which are portable and technology enabled

nowadays. While traditional huge sets of machines are still being used mostly in hospitals

and even NGO settings in HK, the availability of portable tools would be highly relevant. Due

to the scarcity and high cost of hospital beds, community rehabilitation would be a rational

option. Those tools, if properly used could be empowering as the control would be more in

the hands of the patients, and the exercise could take place at home while support and

guidance could be offered remotely when needed. That would lead to better use of

therapists time as well. GIES2019 should have a section on such tools.

5.3 Health monitoring/treatment/prevention, smart machines

Integrated platforms to enable clients or their carer to take active part in health monitoring

are becoming popular. Wearables and sensors coming with their own proprietary software

would be connected via APIs to a single interface to make usage easier. There are also

systems providing instant connection to medical services and staff. Promoting

self-monitoring of health situation would probably lead to higher awareness and would

lower the cost of medical services at the end. That would also lengthen the active ageing

time and improve quality of life. The primary health care system in Hong Kong must take into

consideration how to adopt suitable technology as a core element. Accumulation of Big Data

via incentivized voluntary contribution of data would inform preventative medicine as well.

Compared with most modern cities, Hong Kong is already on the advance track. We have

world class hospitals as a medical infrastructure and a comprehensive electronic health

record system that covers a good portion of citizens. What we need now is to expedite the

social medical collaboration via technology so that community health care could become a

mainstream.