Health & Protection’s second Middle East Forum, held in association with UnitedHealthcare Global, was our fourth trip to the region to assess the international private medical insurance (IPMI) market.
It brought together speakers and delegates from advisers, insurer representatives and a range of experts in the health, technology and legal sectors to discuss and understand and share experiences of key developments in the sector.
One of the most pressing subjects since Health & Protection’s first visit to the region has been the quality and sustainability of local broker operations.
Just days before this year’s event the UAE Central Bank implemented new rules governing how the insurance intermediary market should operate.
While it appears to be well-intentioned with there being some qualification requirements for intermediary firm leaders, attendees were not convinced the changes would see a notable improvement in broker behaviour among many firms and questioned if they were leaving some areas of the market untouched.
The high-profile subject of weight-loss injections also proved a key discussion point with these medications proving particularly in-demand across the region.
However, while there is scope for much good to come, they are already proving to be triggers for conflict throughout the sector as patients seek quick fixes that may not be appropriate.
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