Current healthcare expenditure (CHE) in Qatar is expected to grow at an annual average rate of 2.2% to $6.6bn in 2022 from $5.8bn in 2017, Alpen Capital said in a report.  The slow growth is in anticipation of a meagre increase in population size, Alpen Capital said in its report on “GCC healthcare industry”.
Consequently, the expenditure on outpatient and inpatient care is projected to grow at a CAGR of 2.8% to reach $1.7bn and $3.1bn, respectively, in 2022. Spending on other healthcare services is also expected to grow at a slow annualised average of 2.2%. 
The inpatient market accounts for nearly half of the healthcare spending. The country’s hospital bed requirement is likely to grow at a CAGR of 0.6% between 2017 and 2022 to nearly 2,823 beds, Alpen Capital said.
Current healthcare expenditure in the GCC is projected to reach $104.6bn in 2022, registering a CAGR of 6.6% from an estimated $76.1bn in 2017.
Expanding population, high incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), rising cost of treatment and increasing penetration of health insurance are the factors auguring growth. In view of the growing focus on preventive care practices, the prevalence rate of diseases, although high at present is assumed to remain constant over the forecast period. 
Given the ageing population and an expected increase in the frequency of visits to clinics for treatment and preventive care, the demand for outpatient care is set to expand swiftly. 
Consequently, the outpatient market size in the region is predicted to grow at an annualised average rate of 7.4% to $32bn between 2017 and 2022. The growth is likely to be faster than an anticipated CAGR of 6.9% in the inpatient market. 
At $45.4bn, the inpatient market will continue to remain the largest segment of the healthcare expenditure with a projected contribution of 43.4% in 2022. 
CHE on ‘Others’ is expected to grow at a compounded annual average rate of 5.2% during the forecast period, Alpen Capital noted. Growing size of population and rising cost of medicine and ancillary services will be the forces driving the spending on other healthcare services, it said.
According to Alpen Capital, the GCC has more than 700 healthcare projects worth $60.9bn under various stages of development. Such massive project pipeline is likely to augment the scale of healthcare services in the region.
Medical tourism is an integral part of economic diversification plans of the GCC countries and subsequently, has been receiving stimulus from the governments.
The GCC population size is projected to increase by 6.6mn individuals to 61.6mn by 2022, of which nearly 17% will be people aged 50 years and above. The expanding size of population and the ageing factor is set to exert pressure on the healthcare system, Alpen Capital said.
The GCC countries have been observing a swift transition to non-communicable diseases, a major cause of most of the deaths and disability in the region.
Considering the high cost and length of treating such lifestyle ailments, the healthcare expenditure in the region will rise.
The gradual rollout of compulsory health covers across the region will increase the utilisation of medical services at private healthcare facilities, Alpen Capital said.