Dubai all set to attract 500K medical tourists
dubai — Dubai is all set to attract 500,000 medical tourists from around the world with the emirate gaining economic momentum, a top health official announced on Wednesday.
Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO for Health Regulations at the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said the emirate is well prepared to provide an unparalleled health tourism experience even as the world continues to fight Covid-19.
The strong coordination between the public and private health sectors has helped Dubai combat the spread of Covid-19, allowing the emirate to quickly adapt to the new normal, Dr Al Mulla said during a panel discussion titled ‘Dubai leads the great comeback’ on Wednesday.
This high recovery rate among Covid-19 cases has placed Dubai’s healthcare in the global spotlight again, said the official.
DUBAI — Dubai is ready to welcome back medical tourists from around the world, with the industry aiming to attract 500,000 tourists this year as it had projected prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, a top health official announced on Wednesday.
Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO for Health Regulations at the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said the emirate is well-prepared to provide an unparalleled health tourism experience.
He said that the authority sees the reopening of airports, aggressive testing and sanitisation, and resumption of elective surgeries and other healthcare services as clear indicators of Dubai’s readiness to restart health tourism.
Dr Al Mulla said the strong public-private partnership in the health sector has helped the emirate combat the Covid-19 pandemic. He was speaking at a webinar organised by Dubai’s Health Tourism Department, titled ‘Dubai Leads the Great Comeback: Dubai Health Experience (DXH) welcomes the world to exceptional health experiences’ to announce the sector’s readiness to welcome medical tourists.
The webinar, attended by key stakeholders from the tourism and health sectors and led by speakers from the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) and private hospitals which are members of the DXH, further shed light on how the country is planning to make Dubai a destination of choice for health tourists amid the current situation as well as the strategic measures of the authorities to ensure patient safety upon health tourists’ arrival.
Lauding the country’s efforts in curbing the spread of Covid-19, he said: “With over four million PCR tests conducted across the UAE, of which 950,000 in Dubai, over 100 field campaigns, 9,000 healthcare professionals who worked round the clock along with 30 private healthcare units, we were able to keep our fatality rate less than 0.6 per cent and our recovery rate over 80 per cent.”
Talking about the alternative channel provided by the DHA to provide health services to patient safely, Dr Al Mulla said the authority had been farsighted enough and had launched its telemedicine service last year itself.
“Last year the emirate saw 350,000 medical tourists, a four per cent increase from 2018, with a total spending of Dh726 million on health services. Post-Covid, we are looking to recover as fast as
We want to assure our stakeholders and patients that we are prepared to welcome tourists, including medical tourists as Dubai is open for business and all precautionary measures related to Covid-19 are taken. Dr Marwan Al Mulla
CEO, health regulations, DHA
possible and complete our target of welcoming over 500,000 patients per year,” said Al Mulla.
It plans to boost its efforts by focusing on preventive and alternative health practices such as ayurveda, homoeopathy and yoga. Statistics have shown that the UAE’s wellness and spa travel market caters well to both inbound and domestic travellers, which is about 15 per cent of the total tourism market.
Al Mulla added: “We want to assure our stakeholders and patients that we are ready and prepared to welcome tourists, including medical tourists as Dubai is open for business and all precautionary measures related to Covid-19 are taken. You are in safe hands and we welcome people from across the globe to avail of the best of healthcare and wellness services of Dubai.”
The panel included Issam Kazim, CEO of DCTCM; Sherif Beshara, group CEO, American Hospital; and Dr Tarek Fathey, CEO of Mediclinic Middle East.
They also discussed the ongoing investments in new technologies such as robotics, AI, 3D printing, cosmetic and other sub-specialities, in the sector.