New plans to fill gaps, expand healthcare investments in Dubai

The healthcare sector in Dubai has been growing driven by the population rise and an increase in private health infrastructure.

Dubai's healthcare has projected a growth in demand for one-stop-shop clinics and medical centres for specialised services like orthopaedics and diabetes and this is currently the trend in the emirate. 
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has clearly laid out the areas of focus over the next two to five years. With saturation in some parts of healthcare, the authority has identified gaps in a number of specialities and services such as telehealth, in-patient beds, price positioning and in specialities, by 2025. To address such issues, the authority has launched its health investment strategy 2017-2020 to promote Dubai as a viable and competitive hub for need-based investment in healthcare.
As Dubai's healthcare sector offers significant opportunities for investors, the strategy also aims to guide and support them to build sustainable public-private partnership models in healthcare in Dubai. However, in recent years, the healthcare providers' landscape has changed significantly, leading to an overcapacity for certain services.
So, how will this service add value and will it prevent health investment in already saturated spaces?
Dr Ibtesam Bastaki, director of investment and partnership at the DHA, said: "While it is a fact that some services and catchments have sufficient supply, or some are crowded and pose a risk for overcapacity, there are gaps in a number of specialties and services. Innovations in primary care models, centres of excellence in certain specialities, home-based care and rehabilitation services are key areas of investment potential."
She said that the healthcare sector in Dubai has been growing driven by the population rise and an increase in private health infrastructure. "If you compare global estimates and look at the manner in which the population of the emirate is rising, by 2025, at the current rate, we can expect a gap in in-patient beds, in price-positioning and in specialities," she said.
"Therefore, there certainly is potential and our aim is to foster and promote health investment in areas where there is lack of services or where there are opportunities for growth," she added.
According to Dr Bastaki, the health investment strategy 2017-2020 was developed after conducting a need-based analysis and after extensive stakeholder consultations on the current healthcare investment landscape with more than 40 interviews conducted with senior leaders from both the public and private sectors.
"Several countries have dedicated healthcare investment promotion agencies and frankly it is a better and more efficient way to operate," she said. "It is a win-win situation for the investor and the health sector, and patients benefit the most because it prevents oversupply, leads to the availability of health specialists across various disciplines and fosters the growth and development of specialised and super-specialised health services," she explained.
Dr Bastaki added that the manner and type of care needed is also changing drastically due to a number of factors, creating opportunities along the way for companies that are quick to adapt to this change.
"The rise in ageing population, rising prevalence and risk factors for chronic diseases, and changes in technology and new innovations in the delivery of care are factors that will change the global healthcare landscape in the next decade," she said.
"To keep up with these changes and provide patient-centric care with regular monitoring and follow-up from the comfort of the patient's home, I expect that there would be significant growth in remote patient monitoring and coordinated care delivered through telehealth platforms and solutions," she said, adding that this presented a huge opportunity for Information Technology (IT) healthcare firms to dive into the market and provide solutions that will cut costs, lead to closer follow-up and care particularly for the elderly or need-based patients that find it inconvenient to travel to clinics regularly.
"There are certain stringent criteria such as quality of care the technology will provide, its efficiency, ease of use etc. But, the point is that there is enough and more opportunity." 
In terms of traditional clinic-based services she said: "Primary health care is a priority focus especially for regular preventive screening, early detection as a first-point-of-contact for medical cases that are not critical and for regular follow-up and care."
But added that there is a huge opportunity in that speciality particularly "as we aim to continue enhancing the specialities we offer through the primary healthcare centres". 
A lot of the care that is being delivered in hospitals today will shift to an outpatient setting - leading to the growth of ambulatory care where a lot of procedures can be done in a day care setting and home-based care. "Over the next few years, we can expect to see further streamlined care and continuum of care starting with primary health care right up till home-based care using the latest healthcare technology," she said.
Ahmed Faiyaz Sait, advisor, investments and public-private partnerships at the authority, said: "There will be more of a higher demand for one-stop-shop clinics and medical centres for specialised services like orthopaedics and diabetes and this is currently the trend in the emirate."
"The main driver of this change will be bringing a multi-disciplinary approach and deep clinical expertise to work on a particular disease or condition that improves and delivers better outcomes. There is more to be done on how care delivered at specialised centres is integrated with primary care and home-based healthcare (remote patient monitoring) and we hope to see such care innovation taking place soon," he added.
The DHA has clearly laid out the areas of focus over the next two to five years and the department is keen on providing the dedicated investment promotion and facilitation efforts to support priority investments in Dubai.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com
 

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