Saudi Arabia Diagnostic Imaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Saudi Arabia Diagnostic Imaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The market for diagnostic imaging in Saudi Arabia is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.19% from USD 353.97 million in 2021 to USD 453.17 million in 2027.

COVID-19 impacted the market studied as hospital and healthcare services were significantly reduced due to social distancing measurestaken by the government of Saudi Arabia. Moreover, COVID-19 not only affected the global economy but also showed a huge impact on the functioning of general hospital care for non-COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the world. For instance, the article “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Imaging Case Volumes in Aseer Region: A Retrospective Study” published in October 2021 reported that the total imaging volumes in 2019 were 205,805 compared to 159,107 in 2020 which was a 22.7% overall reduction. The research also concluded that according to modality type, the greatest decreases were reported in nuclear medicine, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), and mammography, by 100%, 76%, 74%, and 66%, respectively. However, the increase in Covid-19 patents and surge in diagnostics requirements in the diagnostic centers, clinics, hospitals as well as mobile clinics have increased during the pandemic. This has created considerable demand for diagnostic imaging in Saudi Arabia, thereby impacting the market studied.

The studied market is majorly influenced by factors such as increasing chronic diseases burden in the country along with the rising geriatric population and increase adoption of advanced medical technologies in medical imaging.

Cancer is one of the major causes of death and the rising burden on health costs in Saudi Arabia. The most common cancers in Saudi Arabia are breast, colorectal, prostate, brain, lymphoma, kidney, and thyroid outnumbering, respectively. Thus, the demand for diagnostic imaging is also rising. According to GLOBOCAN 2020, data updated in February 2021, around 27,885 new cancer cases were reported in Saudi Arabia in 2020. Around 4,807 new cancer cases in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 3,842 new cancer cases were reported in Kuwait in 2020. The rising prevalence of cancer will boost the demand for disease diagnosis and further drive market growth.

Moreover, the elderly population is prone to getting chronic diseases, hence the importance of diagnostic imaging is increasing in the country. A research article published in December 2021 titled “Sociodemographic Determinants, Health Conditions, and Mental Status as Predictors of the Functional Status of Older Saudi People” stated that in Saudi Arabia, the older Saudi people aged 65 years old or above increased from 2.86% in 2011 to 3.2% in 2020 of the total population, and the aging population will reach its peak in 2050.

There is a demand for advanced technologies in the country which has led the major players to develop Hybrid imaging systems. The picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) have been implemented in several hospitals in Saudi Arabia and studies on PACS in Saudi Arabia have largely been conducted in Riyadh. The article “Clinicians’ Perceptions of Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) Use in Patient Care in Eastern Province Hospitals in Saudi Arabia” published in March 2021 stated that clinicians and radiologists had strong positive perceptions of the PACS system in Saudi Arabia and mentioned that PACS had a positive impact on users’ work and increased their satisfaction during the study conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Thus, the advantages of integration of PACS with imaging modalities are expected to create a new opportunity for diagnostics imaging in the country, thereby driving the studied market growth.

Thus, above-mentioed factors are expected to drive the studied market significantly over the forecast period. However, high cost of diagnostic imaging procedures and equipment and side effects of diagnostic imaging is expected to hinder the market growth.

Diagnostic imaging plays a vital role in interventional oncology (with rising opportunities to diagnose and treat in a targeted and minimally or non-invasive manner) as well as in chemo and radiation therapy. Equipment, such as CT, is the highly beneficial and preferred method of imaging for many conditions, including trauma patients. Comparatively, PET is mostly preferred as compared to SPECT, and there are hybrid medical devices also available such as PET/CT or PET/MRI.

The growing burden of cancers in the country such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer etc., along with the launch of new products and services is expected to boost the segment growth. As per the data published by Globocan 2020, the total number of cancer cases in the country was 27,885 in 2020 and this number is expected to increase to 60,429 by 2040. The country was dominated by breast cancer with 29% cases, followed by thyroid cancer (14.3%), and colorectum cancer (9.2%) in 2020. Therefore, the expected increase in cancer cases will boost the demand for diagnostic imaging for detecting early signs of cancer, thus boosting the market.

Moreover, adoption of key strategies by key market players such as collaborations and partnerships is also expected to drive the market growth. For instance, in February 2022, Microsoft Arabia and Roche entered intoa partnership to activate artificial intelligence in the early diagnosis of cancerous diseases. Latest advanced technologies along with artificial intelligence will enable the diagnosis of cases that have not yet shown symptoms, so patients can receive the necessary medical support in the early stages of the disease.

Further launch of awareness campaigns for creating awareness regarding cancer in the country will also increases the demand for cancer diagnostic modalities, thereby augmenting the market. For instance, in October 2021, the Ministry of Health (MOH) launched an awareness campaign on early screening of breast cancer, which is the most common cancer among Saudi women.

Thus, due to the above-mentioed factors the studied market is expected to drive the segment growth significantly.

The market for diagnostic imaging in Saudi Arabia is moderately competitive and consists of the global players along with a few local players. Due to the rising focus of companies to expand to the Middle East region, the Saudi Arabian market is witnessing a large number of these players with an active presence. With technological advancements and product innovation, more companies are expected to penetrate the market in the coming future. Tha major companies in the market are Fujifilm Holdings Corporation, Canon, GE Healthcare, KoninklijkePhilips NV, and Esaote SpA among others.

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