Dubai ready to receive 500,000 medical tourists

Dubai is ready to welcome back medical tourists from around the world, with the industry aiming to attract 500,000 tourists this year, a top health official announced on Wednesday.

Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO for Health Regulations at the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said the emirate is well prepared to provide an unparalleled health tourism experience, even as the world continues to fight Covid-19.

The strong coordination between the public and private health sectors have helped Dubai combat the spread of Covid-19, allowing the emirate to quickly adapt to the new normal, Dr Al Mulla said during a virtual Press briefing on Wednesday. Dubai has opened its borders and started receiving tourists on July 7, with clear health protocols in place.
Safe and warm welcome as first tourists land in Dubai

"With over four million PCR tests conducted across the UAE (of which 950,000 were done in Dubai), over 100 field campaigns, 9,000 healthcare professionals who worked around the clock ... we were able to keep our fatality rate at less than 0.6 per cent and our recovery rate over 80 per cent," the DHA official said.

This high recovery rate among Covid-19 cases has placed Dubai's healthcare in the global spotlight again, as discussed by panellists at the virtual meet titled 'Dubai leads the great comeback'. The panel discussion was also attended by Isssam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Sharif Beshara, Group CEO of American Hospital, and Dr Tarek Fathy, CEO of Mediclinic Hospitals.

Recent numbers of coronavirus cases in the UAE have dropped sharply from a peak of 900 a day in May. The country's latest tally on Tuesday recorded 305 new cases and 343 recoveries, with more than 40,000 additional Covid-19 tests conducted. The number of active cases are currently at 7,193.

saman@khaleejtimes.com