UAE health tourism industry set for boom

SURGERY HOLIDAY: The UAE is about to see a surge in numbers of health tourists. (Getty Images)

The numbers of tourists visiting the UAE for medical procedures are set to soar, as the nation develops the infrastructure required for health tourism, the Ministry of Health has announced.

Globally, health tourism is estimated to be worth $50 billion annually, with a range of developing nations spearheading a trend of offering cheap healthcare to foreign visitors.

Nasser Khalifa Al-Budoor, assistant undersecretary for International Relations and Health Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Health, said the UAE will soon start receiving medical tourists and their families for plastic surgeries, knee replacements or cardiovascular disease care.

The health tourism announcement follows a crackdown earlier this year by the Ministry of Health on illegal clinics and uncertified doctors, particularly cosmetic surgeons, in a bid to regulate the health industry.

Dr Ali Al-Numairy, president of the Emirates Medical Association, told Arabian Business on Wednesday, he believed less than 10 clinics have been shut down since the Ministry’s reforms were introduced.

“Less than ten may not sound like much, but it is a lot given the short space of time. Over the past five or so years, a parallel market trading in illegal medical procedures has been operating in Dubai and the government is getting rid of this.”

Al-Numairy said the parallel market involved illegal clinics operating without registration and certification or doctors performing cheap procedures in non-sterile locations including hotel rooms.

“Often the results of these illegal procedures are catastrophic,” he said.

The Ministry’s tougher reforms included spot checks, with health inspectors authorised to issue warnings, fines, revoke licences and shut down facilities.

The move followed the death of a 27-year-old Emirati woman, who died after undergoing liposuction.

Seven people, including a plastic surgeon and four nurses, are accused of malpractice regarding the case.

Al-Budoor 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.

“We have so many hospitals, with John Hopkins, Harvard, some of the biggest names in the world are here doing work. 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.

However, Al-Numairy said the UAE has been attracting medical tourists for years.

“Health tourism is not a new idea. It has been a big part of Dubai’s vision – that’s why they developed the Healthcare City. Dubai has already become a hub for medical tourism throughout this region, as tourists come here for quality healthcare services.”

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