The majority of nationals and Arab expats are happy with the quality of healthcare available in the Gulf, with satisfaction levels rising to as high as 90 percent in Qatar, according to a new study released this week.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) governments have increased their investments in the healthcare industry as their countries are experiencing serious health problems, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, reported Gallup, which conducted the research.
Between a half and two-thirds of residents in Jordan, Iran, Algeria, Palestine, Turkey and Lebanon are satisfied with local quality healthcare access, while levels are only about half as high in Egypt, Iraq, Morocco and Yemen; with Yemen being the lowest at 21 percent.
Qatar, which was recently declared the richest country in the world, had the highest levels of satisfaction at 90 percent, followed by the UAE at 79 percent.
Coming third was Oman (78 percent), ahead of Bahrain (70 percent) and Kuwait (62 percent), while Saudi Arabia was last in the GCC with 60 percent.
Investments include subsidising a large percentage of nationals and expats’ healthcare needs, even if this means covering the costs for medical tourism to other countries. Another strategy for meeting increasing care needs includes further development of private care options for nationals and expats.
However, privatisation of care in these countries comes with other challenges, such as staffing, quality oversight, and the economics of reimbursement and insurance in a public-private healthcare system.
GCC numbers compare favourably with national populations in other Middle Eastern and North African countries that are expected to face a healthcare crush in the coming years.
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