The Middle East

Efforts to transform Kuwait’s logistics infrastructure are gathering pace following the announcement that the first phase of the $1.2bn Mubarak Al Kabir port development is on track for completion in the second quarter of 2014.

As the Turkish government drums up support for investment in renewable energy, international firms continue to face significant challenges in conducting environmental impact studies, securing funding and acquiring licences.

While all Omanis are entitled to free health services, there has been an increasing move towards private health care, with both foreign and local care providers entering the market. The most recent entrant to the sector is the Saudi-based Shifa Al Jazeera Medical Group, which announced on November 18 it would be investing $259m to establish 13 hospitals and medical centres across the Sultanate over the next few years.

Local banks are turning to the capital markets to finance expansion as they set their sights on growth both in the domestic market and overseas.

A multi-billion-dollar development programme under way in Saudi Arabia is proving to be instrumental in helping the government achieve its long-term aim of widening the base of the national economy by heightening activity in the Kingdom’s capital markets.

New visa regulations designed to allow foreign visitors undergoing medical treatment to stay for up to nine months are expected to reinforce Dubai’s appeal as a health tourism destination, and are part of a long-term plan to further build on the solid health care industry that has been developed.