Dr Ahmed Al-Awady — Co-Founder and CEO of BOKDOC — the leading platform for surgical procedures in the Middle East, said the market of digital applications specialised in booking surgical procedures has achieved a global compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4%, adding that it is expected to reach $5 trillion by 2027.
He attributed this to the radical changes that the healthcare industry has witnessed post-coronavirus. Therefore, selecting doctors and surgeons based on the reviews of previous operations has raised the quality of surgeries and mitigated risks and surgical issues that may arise, in addition to the widespread use of online applications.
Al-Awady added that plastic surgery has the most dedicated applications worldwide, followed by orthopaedic operations, neurosurgery, cardio surgeries, and dental operations respectively.
This has achieved a notable spread in the Arab world in general and in Egypt in particular. Projections suggest that by 2030, 20% of the mechanisms for selecting surgeons will be on applications as a result of the ease of use and search for more than one choice among surgeons and the reviews of previous experiences.
Al-Awady believes that the evolution of modern technology is a predicable outcome of the dominance of digital transformation in the healthcare industry in the upcoming period. Especially as modern technologies — such as AI, robotics, and big data — will contribute to improving the quality of surgeries and the development of the industry at a very rapid pace.
“We in BOKDOC are ahead of the curve in providing surgical procedure services through digital applications, as we have succeeded in building awareness on choosing surgeons through applications, which resulted in an up to 18% reduction in surgical risks,” he assured.
“This indicates that investment opportunities in healthcare applications are huge and are witnessing an unprecedented turnout worldwide through various investment funds and venture capital funds.”
“Due to the importance of healthcare as one of the essentials of life, there is a significant increase in the number of specialised healthcare investment funds worldwide, supported by strong governmental trends. Furthermore, the platform looks forward to constructively contributing to the development of national projects in the field of healthcare in Egypt and the Middle East based on our belief in the importance of transferring modern global expertise and innovative technologies, as well as keeping up with the fast-changing pace in healthcare services in Egypt and the Middle East.”
