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UAE spends Dh 4,408 per person on healthcare

Dubai - 98 per cent of Dubai residents and over 4 million people in the UAE have health insurance

Healthcare providers in the country must take a closer look at the insurance sector, an official from Kosovo suggested.
Speaking ahead of the 12th Healthcare Insurance Forum in Dubai, Husein Reka, senior adviser to the Minister of Health, Kosovo, mentioned three interventions that could be put in place to manage medical inflation. According to him, funding models could be revised "to reduce the risk of pools and transaction costs", for starters.
With 98 per cent of Dubai residents and over 4 million people in the UAE having health insurance, the UAE spends Dh 4,408 per person on healthcare - putting it in the top 20 countries for healthcare spending per capita. This is commendably high in comparison to much of the rest of the world.
Considering this, the UAE needs to take steps to improve efficiencies and reduce waste as well as focus on how to implement mandatory insurance as Dubai and Abu Dhabi have put specific practices in place for sector wide improvement.
Reka added that "robust and proportionate regulation of payers and providers is a must" as well as the need "to make better use of health technology assessment and cost-effectiveness tools to achieve good value for money, rather than immediate uptake and diffusion of new and not proven technology and pharmaceuticals."
Dr Mohamad Chabuk, operations manager at Dublin Health Services, weighed in on the topic and added that "the increase in cost comes naturally with the increase in demand resulting from the change in lifestyle to a higher level and class."
He went on to say that regulatory authorities need to specify a pricing policy with capping to avoid overpricing; however, the different level of pricings should be competitive to the level and quality of service provided.
He added that following those guidelines, providers as well as payers need to work together to ensure those terms are achieved accordingly with proper monitoring systems to avoid abuse and errors.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com
Upcoming insurance forum
> The 12th Annual Healthcare Insurance Forum is scheduled from January 31 to February 1
> Over 30 speakers will attend the 2-day forum
> 2 workshops as well as a wellness seminar will be held