Unlocking Health Care Transformation in the Middle East: The Case for Public-Private Partnerships 

Health systems across the Middle East face mounting pressures as populations grow, health care demands increase and non-communicable diseases rise. The question now is not whether to transform, but how to accelerate impact at scale. While governments are increasingly committed to enhancing health care delivery, one strategy could accelerate impact more effectively than any single policy shift—public-private partnerships (PPPs). 

PPPs are more than a financial mechanism; they represent a strategic alignment that can leverage private sector expertise, technological advancement and operational efficiency to address public health challenges and system-wide reform. The potential is clear: regional health systems could significantly improve outcomes by creating frameworks that foster long-term, impactful collaborations. 

The Case for Public-Private Partnerships

In the Middle East, where health care spending is set to rise as populations grow and age, PPPs could be the key to advancing national health strategies. Policymakers should consider five core areas where PPPs could drive an immediate impact: 

• Local Manufacturing and Health Sovereignty: Localizing pharmaceutical production and investing in advanced research hubs could mitigate dependency on external suppliers, ensuring more resilient supply chains in times of crisis. A notable example is Burjeel’s CAR-T therapies, developed in partnership with U.S.-based Caring Cross. By localizing production, Burjeel is positioned to reduce treatment costs by up to 90%—a model that could be replicated to democratize access to advanced treatments across the region.
• Clinical Trial Ecosystems: Large-scale, high-impact projects can serve as catalysts for PPP frameworks. Abu Dhabi’s US$25.6 billion Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine (HELM) Cluster exemplifies how targeted investments in life sciences can attract international partners and foster advanced clinical trial ecosystems, accelerating innovation adoption and reducing treatment lag times. Policymakers across the region could look to similar initiatives to align private sector investment with public health goals. Abu Dhabi’s GSK multi-omics collaboration is a compelling example, focusing on generating high-quality omics data to support precision medicine.
• Digital Health: As the health care landscape becomes increasingly data-driven, PPPs could play a pivotal role in establishing digital health platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) driven health care solutions. Bioconvergence—the integration of biotech, AI and data science—is an emerging area where PPPs could drive breakthrough innovations. Seoul’s model demonstrates how targeted investment in bioconvergence can accelerate advanced therapies and precision medicine. In the United Arab Emirates, similar frameworks are taking shape through initiatives like the Bioconvergence Incubator, which serves as a launchpad for tech-health collaborations that could redefine disease treatment across the region.
• Preventive Care: Preventive care is often overshadowed by treatment, but it remains one of the most cost-effective ways to improve public health outcomes. Public-private initiatives could focus on scalable preventive programs targeting non-communicable diseases.
• Data-Driven Monitoring: Abu Dhabi’s Unified Medical Operations Center offers a compelling model of how data-driven monitoring can reduce response times and improve patient outcomes. The UMOC’s advanced systems have led to a reduction in emergency response times by almost 30%. Strategic PPPs can replicate this model across other high-burden diseases—from stroke to cancer—transforming reactive systems into predictive ones. 

Lessons from Global Leaders

Boston, Basel, Singapore and Seoul provide critical insights into how public-private collaborations can reshape health care. Boston’s academic and biotech alignment underscores the value of research-driven frameworks, while Basel demonstrates how specialized IP frameworks can catalyze investment in life sciences. Singapore’s top-down coordination mirrors the UAE’s strategy, highlighting the role of centralized planning in aligning public and private sector goals. At the same time, Seoul’s focus on bioconvergence serves as a model for emerging markets aiming to harness frontier technologies. While these models differ in context, they offer valuable frameworks the Middle East can adapt—not replicate—to build future-ready health systems. 

The Middle East stands at a crossroads. Regional governments could either maintain traditional, reactive approaches to health care or embrace transformative strategies that leverage PPPs to drive long-term impact. By fostering partnerships that focus on local manufacturing, digital health infrastructure and preventive care, policymakers could not only strengthen public health systems but also position the region as a global leader in health care innovation. 

Now is the time to act. PPPs are not just an option—they’re a strategic imperative for delivering sustainable, equitable and innovation-led health systems in the region. The opportunity is here to redefine health care in the Middle East through collaborative, data-driven and inclusive approaches. The question is: will policymakers seize it?