Eithne Treanor

Special Correspondent

Healthcare for all is a noble aspiration in any country and with the influx of thousands of foreigners to the UAE every year, something has to be done. The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) recently announced that a new Government owned public corporation would take responsibility for the health service delivery in the Emirate from January next year. Such a welcomed focus on healthcare in Dubai will not come cheap. The government and the private sector are now revising budgets to meet the new requirements but the director general of the DHA, Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, says the rewards will be worthwhile, “a happy and prosperous society is a healthy and productive one.”

The dusty landscape of Dubai has been transformed into a gleaming metropolis in the past 30 years and progress and productivity continues. The city’s population has grown from 300,000 to nearly 1.5 million in that time and this expansion has presented the region with a unique set of challenges. The citizens of the country have always had health care, but the position for the thousands of foreign workers who are resident here on a temporary or permanent basis has always been unclear. Every worker and resident will now have a compulsory health card and will be entitled to basic medical care. All employers and sponsors will have to contribute the equivalent of about £100 per person a year to the central fund. Al Murooshid says he’s been consulting with business owners in Dubai and he’s happy that the cost to business “will not disturb their financial planning.” Employers can offer additional private insurance to their workers, but basic health care will now be guaranteed for all. The government knows these people are valuable for the sustained growth of the city and world class healthcare is essential.

The DHA has appointed a transition team and has consulted with top health officials around the world and looked at schemes in other cities and countries. “A healthier community will have economic benefits,” says Lindsey Sales, assistant director of the DHA Transition Team. The Dubai Strategic plan, as laid out by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai has health and social development as one of the key drivers of growth for the Emirate of Dubai. "A dynamic and well regulated health sector is important to our future growth and prosperity.” says Al Murooshid. The average age in Dubai is around 31 and 60% of the population is under 25. Long term planning is needed in the country and it’s hoped that the scheme introduced in Dubai will integrated with other schemes around the UAE.

An accessible and affordable healthcare system will take a while to be put in place and it could take until 2015 to fully implement the plan. In the meantime, Dubai is busy attracting international business and expertise to lay the foundations. The UAE currently sits at number 44 in ranking by the World Health Organisation; the DHA is determined to shift upwards in the coming years.“ Al Murooshid adds, “Our aspiration is to become one of the world’s top health providers and to build Dubai’s reputation as a regional leader in healthcare provision.” Already we’re beginning to see global players in the healthcare industry open shop in Dubai. The Government will continue to regulate the healthcare in the city but the DHA will now be completely independent to manage the wider healthcare sector. This will mean more avenues for investment in public/private healthcare as well as specialist hospitals and research facilities. Al Murooshid sees Dubai’s growing population as a unique business opportunity.“ There are already lots of new healthcare projects being built and capacity is expanding all the time.”

Dubai Healthcare City has already attracted leading names in the medical field with leading players like the Mayo Clinic, the Harvard Medical School Dubai Center and the Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research at the forefront. The 2.1 new billion dollar, teaching and full clinical service University Hospital promises to “reinvent excellence in healthcare,” when it opens its doors at the end of the year. Another vote of confidence and international care arrived recently, when Moorfields Eye Hospital, a 200 year old British institution, opened its first overseas branch in Dubai. Such investment in the region’s healthcare industry will have a long term impact on the health standards of the city. The transition team is already encouraged to see the response to its new healthcare initiative and according to Sales everyone will benefit. “When people are healthy, they’ll enjoy life more and they’ll contribute to society and ultimately they’ll contribute to the strength of the economy.”