Health authorities in the Gulf have long preferred to send patients overseas for more complex treatments, rather than develop their own facilities. But with the GCC population growing quickly - it is predicted to double to about 80 million over the next two decades - this is becoming unsustainable.

The expansion of healthcare facilities is expensive, and an estimated $10bn worth of healthcare projects are planned or under way in the Gulf. But it is not just state funding that is being poured into the sector. Private equity firms have also been quick to invest, recognising the potential for a high rate of return.

The Gulf’s healthcare projects will not be successful, however, without addressing the other major deficit: the skills shortage. Historically, the region has relied on recruiting healthcare professionals from overseas, and today 80 per cent of the UAE’s doctors are expatriates, while just 7 per cent of nurses in Qatar are locals. Globally, demand for healthcare workers is rising and the GCC’s governments need to focus on training an indigenous workforce to remove their current reliance on expatriate labour.

List of Special Report articles:

• The Gulf’s health challenge

• Gulf bringing in the global pharmaceutical leaders

• Gulf states turn to the private sector for project finance

• Bahrain reversing the trend for overseas care

• Commentary: Gulf will have to invest in medics