Healthcare leaders at WHX emphasised aligning capital investment with health system priorities, advocating for value-based care and private sector involvement while highlighting the need for ground-level testing of investment strategies to address access, cost, and quality challenges effectively.

Global healthcare leaders, investors, and healthcare executives convened at the World Health Expo (WHX) to discuss the evolving landscape of healthcare capital investment. There is growing industry consensus that aligning capital strategies with healthcare delivery priorities is now essential as health systems worldwide address rising demand, demographic shifts, workforce shortages, and rapid technological change.

Also Read: Future X Stage Opens at WHX Dubai 2026

These insights emerged during the WHX Healthcare Investment Forum, where investors, operators, and policymakers explored ways to deploy capital that strengthen health systems, enable sustainable growth, and create real-world impact beyond short-term returns.

As the GCC region defines the next “golden standard” of care, the discussion centred on making patient outcomes the core priority, with industry leaders calling for a greater role for the private sector and a long-term shift toward value-based care.

Dr Mussaad Al Razouki, Operating Partner, Deerfield Management, said: “The ultimate goal is, what can be the next golden standard of care. How can we improve access, how can we reduce cost, and how can we improve quality? The governments in this region are very encouraging of private sector involvement, and they want the private sector to have a bigger role in how healthcare is delivered and how healthcare is financed.”

The conversation also highlighted how misalignment often arises when healthcare investment is planned from behind a desk, rather than tested with real operators and patients on the ground.

Commenting on persistent challenges in regional markets, where many patients still struggle to access basic, trusted care and frequently seek multiple opinions due to limited confidence in the system, Joseph Hazel, Group Chief Executive Officer, Apex Health, Qatar, explained: “Quite often you will find that [investors] will do a desktop exercise. They bring in the consultants, review the gaps, and then set out their plans. But what they don’t do is go through, test it on the ground, deal with the operators, and find out what the competition in the marketplace is.”

These discussions underscored WHX’s vital role as a convening platform, where healthcare investment dialogue leads to tangible results. In addition to its conference programme, WHX hosts the world’s largest international healthcare exhibition, facilitating partnerships, procurement, and investment throughout the four-day event.

Taking place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) from 9–12 February, WHX welcomes more than 4,300 international exhibitors and is expected to attract over 235,000 professional visits, with participants from over 180 countries and 38 country pavilions represented.

Robust government participation further signals sustained public-sector commitment to healthcare investment and system development across the UAE. Government entities represented at WHX include the Ministry of Health and Prevention, Dubai Health Authority, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, and the Sharjah Health Authority, as well as Dubai Health, the Dubai Healthcare City Authority, Emirates Health Services, the Emirates Council for Integrative Medicine, and the Emirates Drug Establishment.

The scale and international reach of WHX reflect Dubai’s position as a global hub for healthcare trade, investment and thought leadership, strategically connecting markets across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Aligned with the UAE’s Vision 2031, WHX supports the UAE’s national ambitions in life sciences, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, precision medicine, and sustainable healthcare systems, while accelerating innovation, market access, and cross-border collaboration.

Ross Williams, Commercial Director, Informa Markets Healthcare, said: “WHX is pivotal in uniting investors, healthcare leaders, and policymakers at a time when the sector faces mounting pressure to deliver sustainable, long-term outcomes. These discussions go beyond capital: they focus on how investment can build stronger health systems, foster large-scale innovation, and drive meaningful impact. Over the four days of WHX, these conversations translate into partnerships, deals, and decisions that shape the future of healthcare.”

Click here to join our WhatsApp channel here

Alongside its exhibition and investment forums, WHX supports early-stage innovation through the Xcelerate startup competition, connecting high-potential healthcare startups with investors and industry leaders. The competition concludes on the final day of the event, with the winning startup receiving a US$25,000 prize, further incentivising innovation and entrepreneurship in the sector.