UAE healthcare sector to grow to Dh103b by 2021

Dubai - The country aims to achieve a world-class healthcare system

 
UAE's health care sector is currently witnessing structural shift and poised to record strong growth of 60 per cent in next five years to Dh103 million by 2021, according to a latest research by Mena Research Partners, or MRP. Khaleej Times spoke to leading players on how the sector is facing shift from conventional preventive care to more health conscious - Millennial - population. New segments like day-care surgery, cosmetic surgeries and digitisation and medical tourism are some of the growth contributing factors.
The country aims to achieve a world-class healthcare system and feature among the leading countries, not only regionally, but in the world in terms of quality of healthcare, according to the UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda.
"The healthcare sector in the UAE is witnessing structural shifts and, as a result, is changing fast to adapt to the demands of a younger, more health-conscious population asking for preventive care rather than curative care and, along the way, is more engaged in its own well-being. Being itself a digitally savvy population that enjoys one of the highest digital connectivity in the world, the new generation is redrawing the blueprints of the future of healthcare in the UAE. It is looking for a more personalised and specialist healthcare. While doing this, it is moving more towards interaction and self-management which is aided by the ever-growing digital technology in the sector," said Anthony Hobeika, chief executive officer, at MENA Research Partners.
UAE accounts for 26 per cent of the total healthcare spend by GCC governments and is strongly promoting medical tourism. The current Dh64 billion ($17 billion) market is driven by a shift in demand for preventive care, a rise in specialist medical services, more efficiently integrated healthcare solutions, as well as the high growth potential within specific medical device and pharmaceutical sub-sectors, says the MRP report. Medical tourism and mandatory insurance will also contribute to the sector's growth.
Hospitals
The two decade old - JCI accredited - Emirates Hospital Group is all set to boost its investments in the region to the tune of $300 million over the period of time. The group is a diversified healthcare conglomerate with various medical offerings under the banner of its three flagship brands, Emirates Hospitals & Clinics, CosmeSurge and Emirates Rehab and Homecare. Pramod Balakrishnan CEO, Emirates Hospital Group, said: "The country has created a strong healthcare framework that is supported by government and private initiatives to boost the sector further. Developments such as the Dubai Healthcare City offer wonderful infrastructure to both patients and inventors in the region. The group plans to grow rapidly across the GCC countries, either through acquisitions or brown field, in the process developing a high quality healthcare network. We also see technology playing a key role in all our future plans, because with the use of mobile technology we should be able to monitor patient health better and reduce the costs of healthcare delivery."
The sector, according to, Balakrishnan, may see investments surge in medical education and medical tourism. The UAE is investing greatly in several initiatives to further enhance medical tourism in the region. The recent initiative of setting up the world's first comprehensive electronic medical tourism portal, Dubai Health Experience, that promises to provide all health, travel, hospitality and visa services at the click of a button, targets over 500,000 international medical tourists by 2020. The UAE visa processes for medical tourism have been made simplified greatly for patients that further facilitates medical tourism in the country.
Dubai is already a popular medical destination. It welcomed 260,000 medical tourists in the first half of 2015, according to Alpen Capital. Dubai has unveiled a master plan to attract half a million foreign patients annually, which is likely to bring in revenue of Dh2.6 billion (US$ 0.7 billion65) by 2020. The plan, to be implemented in two phases, involves the construction of 18 private and four public hospitals with a workforce of more than 3,800.
Day-care surgery
Dr Tarun Bhagchandani, medical director, Medstar, said: "It is incredible that people are now getting versed as how they can have surgery in the morning and then go home in the evening! Not only is day-care surgery beneficial in terms of reduced risk of infection, it can also aid healing time and substantially reduce patients' medical expenses. Day surgery is revolutionising the medical industry when it comes to leading the way in the UAE and the region. Going forward medical tourism is also being considered as a colonel growth indication for the healthcare sector with the UAE reigning its highest position for being the most preferred destination for specialised healthcare services. The healthcare industry experienced significant growth over the past years, particularly in cosmetic related treatments."
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Clinics
Dr K R Menon, medical director, Panacea Medical & Wellness Centre, said: "We have observed that the number of clinics and hospitals has gone up in the last three years making the private sector very competitive. Diabetes and obesity are still big concerns but with more community events being organised to promote awareness around prevalent health conditions in the UAE, patients are becoming more knowledgeable about these common disorders. We are actively involved in preventive health education efforts for our patients and have noticed their growing interest. A touch of glamour has been added with the introduction of health awards that recognises achievements of healthcare providers in various categories."
- sandhya@khaleejtimes.com