The year 2020 will go down in history as one of the most challenging of our lifetime. Thinking back to January, none of us would have predicted the emergence of a pandemic-causing virus, let alone its devastating outcomes that have affected tens of millions of lives around the world so far. It has changed the way we do business, conduct events, and of course, report the news.

Closer to home, we’ve seen healthcare media shift, with the majority of our content now solely focusing on finding a way to protect the world against SARS-CoV-2. A multitude of projects are on hold while global entities focus on the race towards contributing to a vaccine or technology that can help lessen or eradicate the effects of COVID-19.

As the global media platforms of Healthcare IT News and MobiHealthNews, we’ve always reported on developments in the Middle East and Africa (MEA). However, the pandemic has reinforced just how important the region is to our readers, with its drive to improve healthcare – including digital health – during these times, as well as work on viable solutions for local and international communities.

As such, both of our titles at HIMSS Media are expanding their Europe/UK editions to encompass MEA, with Healthcare IT News and MobiHealthNews now including a more comprehensive and inclusive Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) edition. The EMEA edition complements our existing Global and Asia-Pacific versions, with our international teams working around the clock to bring you the latest news, analysis and more.

About Healthcare IT News and MobiHealthNews

Looking ahead, Healthcare IT News and MobiHealthNews will continue to report breaking news and daily happenings in the information and technology space, as well as deep-dive features, analysis and insights into the hardest problems health IT pros face.

To those newly joining us, welcome. There are key distinctions between both of our titles – HIMSS Media’s flagship publication, Healthcare IT News was founded in 2003, and focuses on the digital evolution of healthcare across the world. We report on key technology – such as analytics, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, EHRs, interoperability, information security and telehealth – that is deployed to serve clinicians, administrators and, of course, patients.

Meanwhile, MobiHealthNews – which first arrived in 2008 – is dedicated to covering the emerging world of digital health technology, mainly the intersection of two major trends: the consumerisation of healthcare (hospital apps, PHRs and patient portals, for example), and healthcare’s adoption of mobile and connected technology (such as remote patient monitoring, connected drugs and drug delivery devices).

Welcome EMEA

Focusing on the region, we have reported on a multitude of developments in recent times, including the United Arab Emirates’ plans to set up the first virtual hospital in the Middle East, as well as the success of the country’s border COVID-19 rapid screening centres in order to facilitate testing for city-to-city commuters. 

In Africa, Nigeria’s Helium Health closed a $10-million Series A fund in May, with a mission to focus on telemedicine, while Israeli companies, such as NanoScent, have begun to reveal details of upcoming collaborations in the GCC following the normalisation of ties with the UAE and Bahrain.

We hope you enjoy and learn from both Healthcare IT News and MobiHealthNews, and we would appreciate any feedback, so don’t hesitate to get in contact.

Happy reading!