Dubai Health Authority and the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing are working together to promote medical tourism. Marketing spend at medical tourism conferences and exhibitions as far away as Moscow and Monaco is substantial.
In 2012, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai told many of the organizations that he controls to do everything possible to finally deliver on the medical tourism investment that has been made for the last five years.
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and the General Directorate for Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) have agreed to simplify and speed up the medical tourism visa process, so that overseas patients who wish to have treatment in Dubai can take advantage of a three-month medical tourist visa, extendible twice, up to nine consecutive months.
Part of the initiative is encouraging global healthcare providers to set up businesses and increasing both government and private investment in healthcare. The Dubai Health Authority has completed a comprehensive capacity survey of public and private healthcare facilities in Dubai under the Dubai Clinical Services Capacity Plan (DCSCP) 2020. Eisa Al Maidour of the DHA explains,” This information will provide investors with the necessary data for investment. The DCSCP will point out the specialities and sub-specialities where investment is needed. The data will definitely make Dubai’s healthcare environment attractive for investors.”
Marwan Abedin of Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) estimates that 15% of its patients are medical tourists, and that the number of inbound medical tourists in Dubai was up 10% to15% in 2012; this is an estimate only. But growth for 2013 to 2015 is expected to be lower at 7.2 % a year. DHCC states that it attracted 410,000 patients in 2010, and 502,000 in 2011. Latest estimates for 2012 are at around 550,000. At various times DHCC claims 15% or 20% of patients as medical travellers; but this is actually all international travellers, including business people and holidaymakers. Exactly how many are real medical tourists is a question that remains to be answered;? it is likely to be around 50,000 and 80,000 and thus in line with other significant destinations.
Most medical tourists to Dubai are from the GCC and the wider region; as well as people from countries including Libya, Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Tunisia, India, Pakistan, and Russia. The original idea that Dubai would appeal to Americans and Western Europeans has been abandoned.
Part of the initiative is to persuade UAE residents to stay home to get treated, rather than go overseas, and that is beginning to work as the number of UAE based patients were up 12% in 2012. Although the majority of patients living in the UAE prefer to be close to home, many others still prefer to be treated outside the Mena region? in Europe or North America. Some patients do so because the country lacks the specialisations they require, which can be found in other countries; while others do not trust the public hospitals, and the cost of treatment in Dubai is high compared to Asian competitors.
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