Dubai says planning to open 22 new healthcare facilities
Source: 15 April 2016 | Arabian Business
"Dubai's new healthcare strategy will generate numerous openings for investors across the sector, with medical tourism, e-services and specialised-hospital expansion ripe for development, a senior official has said.Humaid Al-Qatami, the chairman and director-general of Dubai Health Authority (DHA) said in an interview with Oxford Business Group that the Dubai Health Strategy 2021 had been developed to take account of both ""strengths and gaps"" in the current services available.
He said Dubai plans to open 22 new healthcare facilities - 18 private and four public hospitals - in the coming years.Al-Qatami, who was previously the Minister of Education and Health, also highlighted the full implementation of compulsory medical insurance in the emirate.He told OBG that the scheme had done ""much to transform healthcare in the emirate"", adding that it had provided many residents with health coverage for the first time while increasing the coverage of others.""All health insurance transactions go through the system, which provides us with behavioural data that we can analyse to plan specific health policies that will directly improve the performance of the health sector, leading to better patient outcomes as a result,"" he added.Dubai's new healthcare initiative was presented by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in late January.
It takes the form of a five-year roadmap for improving the quality and cost effectiveness of health services in the emirate, through public and private sector collaboration.Key features include a sharper focus on prevention, health and lifestyle, smart health care and governance, Al-Qatami said.Al-Qatami also highlighted the ""tremendous opportunity for investment"" in e-health initiatives, which he described as ""vital"" for the growth and development of the health sector.At the heart of the strategy lies Dubai's bid to carve a niche as a regional and international destination for medical tourism by boosting health visitor numbers from 135,000 in 2014 to 500,000 by 2020.""The private sector is our key partner in the medical tourism initiative and we are working together to implement it,"" Al-Qatami told OBG."
