HISTORY
Gulf World Traders (GWT) is a 100 per cent limited liability UAE company dedicated to the country’s healthcare needs. Since its inception, GWT has opened more than one channel with the rapidly developing world of technology to comply with the daily market demands.
GWT is now catering to all the medical and scientific needs throughout its offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Doha and Muscat with the intent to become a leader in its dedicated line of business and extending it to the local manufacturing/ assembling model. GWT is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company for Management Quality System, as well as the ISO 18001:2007 Standard — Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS), and ISO 14001: 2015 Standard — Environmental Management System.
MISSION
To analyse and select the most renowned manufacturers in the healthcare product’s international market, and commit to them with complete transparency and dedication; through effective marketing strategies and thorough understanding of our customers and their needs.
To offer excellence and value to our customers and provide products that are safe, economically efficient and technically exceeds their expectations.
To attract, incentivise and retain the highest human calibres by creating the ideal working environment and career progression.
To maximise profitability through market share growth and efficient cost management, while maintaining the highest standards of integrity and business conduct.
OPERATION
GWT is a very well recognised and specialised company in the business of healthcare products and its related services, providing design, sales, installation, start-up, application training, and after-sales service, as well as turnkey projects. GWT’s multitasks activities are supported by more than 165 highly qualified employees, out of which, more than 70 per cent are factory-trained physicians and engineers acting as product, service, and application specialists.
The rest of the team represents the professional logistic support system. GWT has its central warehouse in Dubai with an area of 20,000 square feet, located next door to the main office, and another 7,000-square-feet warehouse in Abu Dhabi, both having walk-in cold rooms with temperature and humidity control. GWT has also its main highly equipped service workshop facility in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in addition to the permanently located service engineers in other emirates, acting as first aid to any service call.
This service division is controlled by the most advanced Asset Management software system. GWT as a healthcare-related provider, maintains a very efficient and punctuate delivery system including refrigerated trucks for the transportation of very sensitive chemicals, reagents, and consumables. GWT is in exclusive partnership with almost 35 well-recognised multinational manufacturers covering more than 60 per cent of the market needs in both medical and scientific fields. GWT’s main objective today is to maintain the satisfaction of all its customers, as well as to reach their expectations, covering the sales, service and application domains by elevating the performance and quality through extensive trainings to its employees. The commitment GWT overtook its clients wide base, 39 years ago, will continue to update and upgrade.
MARKET
The government currently provides free health service to nationals, who represents around 13 per cent of the total population. The 2016 statistics shows a population of 9.3 million with an average growth of 1.2 per cent, health expenditure was around $16.1 billion (Dh59.1 billion), representing 4.2 per cent of the GDP (70/30 public to private sector), with annual average growth of 7 per cent.
Statistics also shows a total of 128 hospitals (38/90 public to private sector), and 200 plus healthcare centres, providing the market with 12,533 beds, equal to 1.4 beds per thousand, a very low rate to the international standards. The UAE healthcare market is projected to reach $19.5 billion (Dh71.56 billion) by 2020, achieving an annual average growth of 12.7 per cent, marginally higher than the GCC growth average.
The UAE’s leaders have paved the way for a rapidly expanding healthcare system to meet both the evolving needs of a growing population and the nation’s ambition to become a regional medical tourism hub, and a recent snapshot of the country’s health sector shows there is no sign of the market slowing down. The UAE Healthcare Sector Outlook 2020 by RNCOS, a global business consultancy, forecasted that this market would grow at a compound annual rate of 7 per cent between 2015 and 2020, with a need of additional 8,000 beds by 2025.