Healthcare facilities get ready as the UAE government makes international accreditation mandatory by 2010
Though the industry's future looks bright, healthcare experts rue the shortage of quality medical personnel
In the last few years, the UAE has made considerable progress in the healthcare industry. A study predicts the sector will grow by 14 per cent over the next five years.
The country is ranked 43rd out of 174 countries in the latest UN Human Development Report. The child mortality rates at 9 per 1,000 is comparable to most developing countries. Preventive medicine campaigns have had a major impact on life expectancy, which is now 76 years for women and 74 years for men.
According to a report by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the healthcare sector currently accounts for almost 6 per cent of Dubai's non-oil gross domestic product. The market is expected to rise from $3.2 billion (Dh11.7 billion) in 2005 to $11.9 billion (Dh43.7 billion) in 2015.
And yet, when you ask the people in the industry if they think the UAE has a healthy population, the answers are not as quick as you expect.
"While it would be a generalisation to say that people here are unhealthy, there are some serious health issues that need to be addressed. For instance, recent statistics, which reveal sharp increases in instances of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, do not paint the healthiest picture,” says Dr. Ottmar Schmidt, Director Marketing and Public Relations, Welcare World Health Systems.
Agrees Dr. Mustafa Mahesri, Specialist Surgeon, Prime Medical Centre, "The WHO defines healthy as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. As far as infectious diseases go, compared with the Asian sub-continent, we may be healthy, but from the mental and social point of view, we are not healthy at all. These factors, in turn, contribute to our deteriorating physical well-being.”
Binay Shetty, Executive Director, NMC, feels the population of the country is healthy at large. "However, incidents of lifestyle-related diseases are on the rise, especially conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.”
But hope exists. "Education plays a key role in keeping a population healthy, and health awareness has certainly increased in Dubai. We at Welcare have placed renewed emphasis on preventive medicine, and people are taking more proactive roles in maintaining their health,” says Dr. Schmidt.
Rising costs
While the government is working hard to ensure every resident in the UAE has medical insurance, rising costs of healthcare is keeping the country down.
Says Dr. Mahesri, "Healthcare is quite expensive in the UAE. At the end of the day, it comes down to the doctor to patient ratio, which, because of the burgeoning UAE population, is becoming worse. With the development of initiatives such as Dubai Healthcare City, I believe the future is bright.”
"The healthcare cost structure is competitive. However, the complete impact of compulsory insurance, privatisation and inflation is not realised to the full extent,” says Shetty, voicing hope and high expectations for the coming years.
"The standard of healthcare in the UAE is certainly on par with the rest of the world. With the introduction of international healthcare practices, including accreditation, the standards of healthcare will improve further,” he adds.
Dr. Schmidt, however, feels this dream is far from being realised.
"The healthcare industry in Dubai still has a long way to go. Welcare World Health Systems' Emirates Diagnostic Clinic, which opened way back in the 1980s, was the first facility in Dubai to bring a wide range of medical disciplines together under one roof.
"Welcare continues to expand and innovate, and in Dubai Healthcare City, the region has an extensive, integrated healthcare centre that can provide medical services, education and research on par with the best in the world. So there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future,” he says.
Stringent measures
Focusing more on the present, Dr. Mahesri says, "In the beginning, the Ministry of Health did not have the means to sift the good from the bad.
"Accreditation and assessment practices were non-existent, and hence many quacks were part of the industry. Today, the licensing procedures are much sharper and handled by more qualified personnel, leading to better quality of manpower.”
The path to progress is not easy though, and more than industry professionals, the onus seems to be on the government.
"The government needs to establish clear policies, create a level playing field for the private sector, improve licensing norms for medical professionals, and implement accreditation, among other things,” says Shetty.
Adds Mahesri, "The Department of Health needs to ensure professionals have taken the necessary exams. They also need to develop a point or grading system for doctors who keep themselves up-to-date by attending conferences and seminars.
"A stricter control on clinics and pharmacies and regulation of the drugs coming into the country will also go a long way in making the UAE population healthier.”
"The healthcare industry is gradually moving toward a more patient-centric approach, and the use of IT to support this is increasingly coming into play. A bigger emphasis on new technologies and the IT industry to support healthcare practices is essential to help with the management of this shift in focus,” comments Dr. Schmidt.
International accreditation
"The Dubai Department of Health and Medical Services has initiated laws making it mandatory for all healthcare facilities in Dubai to attain international accreditation by 2010 or face closure.
"This means the standards within the healthcare sector will be improved and unified, which will help to instil transparency into the healthcare system. One of the biggest hurdles that healthcare institutions face is the demand for talent.
"There is a critical shortage of quality medical personnel here, and this problem needs to be addressed right away,” he adds.
The good news is that everyone agrees the government has been proactive and extremely supportive of the industry. "After education, which is important to sustain the economy today, I think health is one of the biggest concerns for the government,” says Dr. Mahesri.
Agrees Shetty, "The government has proactively taken a number of initiatives, one of them being the introduction of compulsory health insurance.
"This has helped in making healthcare accessible to everyone in the UAE and upgrading and privatising government health facilities. The adoption of international practices and establishment of healthcare zones have also been initiated.”
Forging partnerships
"Along with putting more emphasis on regulations, the government is working to engage the private sector more in efforts to upgrade the national healthcare system. For example, last year the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HA-AD) turned its three flagship hospitals over to outside management.
"The government's vision to create partnerships with private institutions such as Welcare provides them with the required support to develop policies and regulations in order to continually improve the healthcare facilities in the country,” says Dr. Schmidt.
"In the UAE, healthcare is shifting its focus to early health and using new technologies for early diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has revealed new plans to reform the healthcare services with the introduction of a regulating body, which is to develop new legislations within the industry,” informs Dr. Schmidt.
"The government is helping to smooth the way for private investors, increasing the volume of big brand names in the region.
"One of the biggest developments is the move by private hospitals to develop strategic partnerships with international institutions, allowing for an excellent platform for cross referrals and professional and global service at an international level,” he adds.
"With the introduction of many such initiatives and the steady focus on improving the standards of healthcare in the country, the UAE is well on its way to becoming a healthy place with a healthy population,” concludes Dr. Mahesri.
