Siemens , Europe's biggest engineering company, plans to showcase the latest cutting-edge and cost-effective healthcare technologies for the first time in the Middle East at Arab Health, the region's largest healthcare event. The innovations, including the world's first wireless ultrasound system and a revolutionary X-ray tube with new detector technology, will help the region meet rising demand for advanced healthcare services at a time when populations are growing and lifestyle-related diseases increasing.

Among the new products being showcased is the pioneering Acuson Freestyle wireless ultrasound imaging system. Acuson Freestyle will provide medical institutions with better image quality and increased battery life by using less power, while eliminating the need for cables and expanding ultrasound's use in interventional and therapeutic applications. Siemens will also showcase the Artis Q and Artis Q.zen, the latest X-ray and detector technology, which can improve minimally-invasive therapy of illnesses such as coronary artery disease, stroke and cancer by identifying small vessels up to 70 percent better than conventional technologies in that category. The Artis Q.zen series also allows detection using less radiation, up to 50 percent lower than normally applied in angiography.

Arab Health will run for four days starting January 28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where Siemens will also present many other innovations that aim to make healthcare more accessible, affordable and efficient. The new 64-slice Somatom Perspective computed tomography (CT) scanner, which is appropriate for use in outpatient environments and small to medium-sized hospitals where CT tasks focus on routine applications, offers low energy consumption and cooling needs, making it a cost-effective option. The equipment's automation technology makes it more efficient, increasing the life span of the system and lowering maintenance costs.

"At a time when health threats across the region are on the rise, we enable better access to healthcare and the early detection and diagnosis of diseases by offering high-quality, yet economical medical imaging and laboratory diagnostics systems and medical information technology," said Waclaw Lukowicz, CEO of the Healthcare Sector for Siemens in the Middle East. " Siemens has been the leader in healthcare innovation for 125 years and we are committed to raising the quality and productivity in healthcare also here in the Middle East."

The healthcare sector in the Gulf Co-Operation Council (GCC) countries is projected to grow at an annual rate of 11 percent to USD43.9 billion by 2015 from an estimated USD25.6 billion in 2010, according to a report by Alpen Capital. Demand for healthcare in the GCC is rising due to rapidly-growing and aging populations, increasing lifestyle-related diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, in tandem with growing per capita income and higher insurance penetration, the report said.

Other healthcare technologies from Siemens at the exhibition will include the latest Magnetom Spectra, a 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology; the Acuson X700 ultrasound system; the Aptio™ Automation laboratory automation platform, which handles increasing workloads, adapts to nearly any lab or testing environment and provides comprehensive analytics; and the syngo.via Element, a solution for 3D routine and advanced image reading for CT studies.

Siemens is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering operating in the energy, infrastructure and cities, industry and healthcare sectors. The company has been operating in healthcare for 125 years and is an international supplier of diagnostic imaging systems, information technology and therapeutic equipment for hospitals, clinics and doctors' offices. The company's Healthcare sector employs around 51,000 people worldwide and recorded profits of approximately 1.8 billion euros in fiscal 2012.

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