Education & Health
From The Report: Kuwait 2022
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With one of the largest relative youth cohorts in the Gulf – the share of the population under 35 stood at 50% as of 2022 – Kuwait has a vested interest in achieving positive learning and health outcomes for nationals and foreign residents alike. As was the case around the world, the Covid-19 pandemic posed specific and immediate challenges for educators and medical workers in the country, which the government is working to address in parallel with ongoing efforts to achieve the development targets set by New Kuwait 2035, the long-term development roadmap launched in 2017. The so-called education gap experienced after many young students were forced to adjust to online learning virtually overnight is a particular concern for policymakers, and a mix of in-person and online solutions are being explored to help learners catch up.

This chapter contains an interview with Thamer Arab, CEO, Dhaman.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Fit to learn: Ongoing efforts to foster supportive policies and infrastructure for a healthy and well-educated future workforce
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With one of the largest relative youth cohorts in the Gulf – the share of the population under 35 stood at 50% as of 2022 – Kuwait has a vested interest in achieving positive learning and health outcomes for nationals and foreign residents alike. As was the case around the world, the Covid-19 pandemic posed specific and immediate challenges for educators and medical workers in the country, which the government is working to address in parallel with ongoing efforts to achieve the development targets…

Interview

Medical attention: Thamer Arab, CEO, Dhaman, on increasing knowledge sharing to improve diagnoses and patient outcomes
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Interview: Thamer Arab Where do you see opportunities to deepen private participation in health care provision? THAMER ARAB: The integration of private health care providers into Kuwait’s health care system is still in its early phases, but it is progressing satisfactorily, and so far, the experience has been positive. We expect that the country’s private health operators will have significant room to grow and help the local sector develop further by investing in and boosting health care efficiencies.…

Analysis

Expanding treatment: A public-private partnership is expected to play an important role in the development of the health care system
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As GCC countries look to rationalise public spending and stimulate private enterprise, public-private partnership (PPP) opportunities are opening up across a range of industries. After the Gulf’s health care systems coped relatively well with the Covid-19 pandemic, attention has returned to finding the most efficient ways to provide coverage to the region’s growing population. In Kuwait, the Health Assurance Hospitals Company ( Dhaman) PPP is set to play an integral role in the country’s health…

Analysis

Patented innovation: Developments in higher education aim to boost patent filing
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In terms of the filing of international patents, 2021 was a record-breaking year, with higher education playinga significant role in driving innovation and expanding intellectual property (IP). According to the UNWorld Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), 277,500 international patents were filed in 2021, a 0.9% increase from 2020 andrepresenting the 12th consecutive year of growth. Revealingly, the largest share of patents was in the field of computer technology, at 9.9%,…

Analysis

The metaverse in education: Building a digital landscape in institutions of higher learning
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In a bid to expand access and widen their reach, educational institutions are exploring the possibilities of the metaverse and associated extended-reality (XR) approaches. The metaverse comprises a range of technologies that immerse users in a virtual environment. It denotes a 3D medium that combines virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) into a new digital realm, sometimes known as XR. These environments are accessed through VR headsets and are typically immersive, interactive and social. Metaversal…

Analysis

Virtual visits: Adopting health tech to close the care gap in emerging markets
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After a surge in uptake during the Covid-19 pandemic, the telehealth industry is courting new investment to further innovation and increase access to care in emerging markets. Digital health companies raised a record $57.2bn in global venture capital funding in 2021, a 79% jump from the $32bn raised in 2020, with 30% of the total directed towards telehealth. An estimated $140bn in private sector finance will be needed annually between 2015 and 2030 to realise the UN’s health-related Sustainable…