UAE Health Authority paying for Emiratis to go abroad for treatment

The UAE, and in particular Dubai, invests significantly in promoting the excellence of its health services to try to attract medical tourists. Nevertheless, the number of patients that the state sends abroad for treatment is rising. The Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) says that the most common medical condition of Emiratis for whom it has paid for overseas treatment is a malignant tumour, followed by pediatric heart surgery, spine surgery, orthopedic surgery, rehabilitation therapy and heart diseases.

The UAE, and in particular Dubai, invests significantly in promoting the excellence of its health services to try to attract medical tourists. Nevertheless, the number of patients that the state sends abroad for treatment is rising.

The Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) says that the most common medical condition of Emiratis for whom it has paid for overseas treatment is a malignant tumour, followed by pediatric heart surgery, spine surgery, orthopedic surgery, rehabilitation therapy and heart diseases. General surgery, eye diseases and bone marrow transplant are also common reasons for choosing to seek medical assistance abroad.

More than 8,000 Emiratis across Abu Dhabi have chosen to seek medical treatment abroad between 2008 and mid 2011, with Germany being the most poplar country, followed by the UK, US, Thailand, and Singapore.

HAAD is very concerned about the rising number of patients seeking medical services outside the UAE, and has set up a medical board committee of nine consultants, to determine if cases are be treated abroad. The committee holds weekly meetings to consider medical reports brought to their attention.

The number of Emirati patients sent for medical treatment abroad in 2008 was 2,643, 2,526 in 2009, 2,825 in 2010 and 724 in the first quarter of 2011. In addition to these paid for by HAAD there are independent travellers paying for their own treatment. Earlier figures suggest 30,000 Emiratis a year spend an average of $250,000 per visit. A survey among residents in the UAE said that a majority of Asians prefer to seek medical treatment back in their home countries, citing the high cost locally and lack of confidence in the health care system. The Federal National Council recently asked Dr Hanif Hassan, Minister of Health, why there is such a lack of trust in the local health care system. It called for swift wide-ranging reforms in the healthcare system.

A large Chinese medical group plans to tap the market in the UAE and will set up a clinic offering traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Boai Group suggests that 70,000 people from the Gulf Cooperation Council area travel for treatment abroad, mainly to Thailand or Malaysia. The company wants to promote China as a cheaper destination, with treatment in China costing a quarter of what it would cost in Dubai, or two-thirds of the cost in Thailand. The largest number of patients that go to Boai group’s hospitals in China are cancer patients; Boai hospitals offer Chinese traditional treatment along with western mode of treatment and claims a 70 % rate of success.