UAE sets sights on medical tourism industry (page 1 of 2)

With rising healthcare costs and hospital waiting times in Europe and the US, medical tourism has become a booming industry, especially in Asia.

Countries such as India, Thailand and Singapore can offer medical care for just 10% of the price that it would cost for similar procedures in the US.

Not surprisingly, approximately 750,000 Americans traveled outbound for medical care in 2007, and that figure is expected to increase to six million by 2010.

The amount of money at stake in the global medical tourism market is huge. McKinsey & Company estimates that the industry was worth $60bn in 2006, and will reach $100bn by 2012.

UAE poised for growth

The UAE is eager to gain a slice of this growing market and is quickly moving to bring its health care sector up to international standards.

In the last three years, 14 hospitals in the UAE have been accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI) in the US, one of the world's leading accreditation organisations.

The latest of these is Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi, which in July received JCI status for its surgical pavilion, medical pavilion and outpatient speciality clinics.

The emirate has also teamed up with Harvard Medical School to operate Dubai Healthcare City, a 435-acre state-of-the-art 'centre of excellence' for clinical and wellness services, medical education and research aimed at competing with low-cost health care providing countries in Asia.

The UAE's Ministry of Health is at the forefront of developing the necessary infrastructure to attract medical tourists, says Nasser Khalifa Al-Budoor, the Assistant Undersecretary for International Relations and Health Affairs at the MoH.

'We'll be ready to start receiving medical tourists coming here with their families, whether for plastic surgeries, knee replacements or treatment of cardiovascular diseases. We have so many hospitals like John Hopkins, Harvard, where some of the biggest names are working,' Al Budoor noted.

He said in the past the Middle East would 'never have been considered a destination for medical tourists', but the situation in the UAE had completely changed.

'People would go to London for shopping with their families and receive a check up or undergo a small operation. Now Dubai is ready for this. We have so much to offer now, with certified hospitals from international agencies,' he said.

Challenges abound

The UAE is in a prime position to establish itself as an alternative destination for the booming medical tourism market, but it faces significant challenges in its bid to attract medical tourists.

Quality and cost are the key criteria that medical tourists look for, and the UAE faces hurdles on both fronts. Despite the rising number of hospitals receiving accreditation, the UAE is still struggling to establish a reputation as a safe destination for medical treatment.

Tellingly, many UAE nationals elect to travel abroad for medical procedures rather than have them at home. According to one report, about 62,000 UAE nationals sought medical treatment in Thai hospitals in the first seven months of 2006 alone.