The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) has participated in the eighth Arab-German Health Forum, which took place recently in Berlin, the capital of Germany.
The two-day conference, held in the Westin Grand Berlin, comprised five sessions on key subjects pertaining to cooperation between the Arab and German healthcare industries, a workshop, a panel discussion and networking sessions.
In attendance from the emirate of Sharjah were Mr Abdulla Ali Al Mahyan, chairman of Sharjah Healthcare Authority & Sharjah Healthcare City, Mr Ahmad Al Qaseer, Chief Operating Officer of Shurooq, Mr Elie Jamil Armaly, Director of Business Development at Shurooq, and Mr Binu Pisharadi, Commercial Manager at Sharjah Healthcare Authority & Sharjah Healthcare City.
Mr Al Mahyan was among the speakers at the forum’s first session – entitled ‘Healthcare Facilities: Planning, Building and Managing Medical Projects’. Other sessions over the two days explored strategic approaches to cross border partnerships in medical education, best-practice examples of Arab-German Cooperation in the healthcare sector, Berlin as a world-class healthcare destination, and key drivers of innovation in medical technology and research.
In addition, a workshop was held on innovation and challenges related to pharma practice. The Forum closed with a panel discussion titled: ‘Perspectives and Demands of Arab-German Healthcare Partnerships’.
Following the conclusion of the conference, Mr Ahmad Al Qaseer, Chief Operating Officer of Shurooq, said: “The Arab-German Health Forum, now in its eight iteration, is an extremely well-established platform for discussion and cooperation between the Arab world and Europe’s largest economy, to embrace the opportunities and overcome the challenges prevalent in the healthcare sector. For Shurooq, it is a valuable opportunity to further strengthen Sharjah’s burgeoning ties with Germany – a world-leader in healthcare – as we push forward in establishing the emirate as the largest and most innovative healthcare hub in the UAE”.
Mr Ahmad Al Qaseer added: “The calibre of speakers and attendees over the Forum’s two days, from both Germany and the Arab World, was exceptional, on a multitude of critical subjects. The conference was a fantastic platform to share our knowledge and ideas, learn from best practice elsewhere in the world, and bolster our relationship with key private and public sector bodies across the two regions.”    
This year has seen a step up in initiatives aiming to strengthen cooperation between the healthcare sectors in Sharjah and Germany. Prior to the eighth Arab-German Health Forum, Shurooq welcomed a high-level German healthcare delegation at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce. At that meeting, the Chief Executive of Berlin Tourismus & Kongress, the German Authority, expressed admiration for Sharjah’s overall health structure and said the two sides were working actively to find new areas for mutual collaboration.
Shurooq's key mission is to provide facilities and incentives to help overcome obstacles facing investment activities in the Emirate, evaluate investment-related infrastructure projects, and lay down the necessary plans to complete such projects.
In recognition of its overall accomplishments, Shurooq was named The Banking Awards 2013 – and 2014 FDI Agency of the Year in the MENA region, in the European’s Global Banking and Finance Awards.