Orthopaedic, dermatology and ophthalmology were the most sought medical and health tourism specialties.- Alamy Image
Dubai - A majority of international patients came from Asia (37 per cent), followed by Arab and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations.
Published: Tue 26 Dec 2017, 9:45 PM
Updated: Wed 27 Dec 2017, 6:48 PM
In 2016, Dubai witnessed an overall growth of 9.5 per cent in the number of medical and health tourists in Dubai, a senior official from the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) said on Monday.
The emirate received 326,649 international medical tourists last year. A majority of international patients came from Asia (37 per cent), followed by Arab and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations (31 per cent) and Europe (15 per cent).
Orthopaedic, dermatology and ophthalmology were the most sought medical and health tourism specialties. Dubai is also well known for cosmetic, dental and fertility treatments.
Revenue generated from international patients was over Dh1 billion, reinforcing the growing contribution of the sector to the national gross domestic product (GDP).
Dr Layla Mohamed Al Marzouqi, director of the health tourism council, said: "Our goal is to continue to position Dubai as the prime destination for health tourism through a combination of world class infrastructure, cutting edge technology and expert medical practitioners.
"We believe that Dubai has what it takes to become the preferred destination for medical and health treatments, and our objective now is to create wider awareness about the facilities and services that Dubai Health Experience (DXH) group members provide and showcase the length and breadth of their expertise to an international audience," she said.
Remote assistance
With availability of modern technology and infrastructure, each patient can investigate and arrange healthcare facilities remotely using a trusted website and medical facilitators.
The website also provides medical tourists the opportunity to compare and choose from over 400 healthcare packages that are designed to meet each individual's requirement.
The packages clearly outline the cost, inclusions and exclusions. The comprehensive packages listed on the portal combine both leisure and health, including hotel accommodation, visa and insurance along with the selected medical treatments. The portal also offers options to request an appointment and 24X7 live chat.
Dubai's strategy for health tourism includes a charter of patient's rights and responsibilities with which medical tourists can understand their rights before arriving in Dubai for healthcare.
Additionally, the DHA has created a medical complaints procedure for anyone with a medical related complaint for health professional or facility in Dubai. The process has been designed to address issues based on the level of severity, and provide families with a clean timetable for resolution.
To facilitate the arrival of medical tourists, the DHA works with a third party company to provide coverage. This policy, according to the DHA, is an important "safety net" in the event of any unforeseen complications that may arise from treatment in the emirate.
Linda Abdullah, consultant of the health tourism council at the DHA, said: "We have recently broadened our portfolio to include health and wellness, in order to attract the tourists seeking a holistic wellness experience.
We want health tourists to embrace their wellness journey in the city of Dubai, via our wellness offerings that include preventive health screenings, DNA tests, detox and weight loss programmes, anti-aging treatments, diabetes management and alternative medicines to name few."
Dubai has around 3,000 private health facilities ranging from hospitals, specialised clinics to day-surgery centres with around 35,000 health specialists from more than 110 different nationalities working in the sector.
These numbers are expected to grow to 40,000 specialists and 4,000 health centres by 2020.
What is DXH? How it helps patients?
Dubai Health Experience (DXH) was launched in April 2016 by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, as a hallmark of the 'Dubai, a Global Destination for Medical Tourism' project. It also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with The Health Bank this year with an aim to drive medical tourism in the region. The DXH group today has 45 of Dubai's leading healthcare providers from hospitals and specialised clinics to day-surgery centres. The health tourism council actively promotes the packages listed by the DXH group members on the website and other marketing collaterals and campaigns.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com
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