Essentially what is
medical tourism and how
strong is this in UAE?
Dr. Benazir: Medical Tourism
refers to people travelling from one
country to another for the purpose of
obtaining medical treatment.
Does UAE have an
edge over other countries
in the region when
it comes to medical
tourism?
Dr. Benazir: UAE has portrayed
itself as a major tourist attraction and
is one of the world’s fastest growing
destinations for leisure. UAE is located
in a unique strategic position between
the East and West which makes it
easily accessible to millions of medical
tourists. UAE boasts major JCI
accredited hospitals, state-of-the-art
facilities and Western qualified doctors
along with high quality of life and
security to make it a great prospect for
medical travellers as compared to the
rest of the countries in the region.
Which countries
are the majority of
patients coming from for
treatment here?
Dr. Benazir: The majority of
Africans have been seen flocking into
UAE for medical treatment. Nationals
from Nigeri a, Sudan, Ethiopia, and
Chad have been the major medical
tourists in UAE. Along with leisure
travel, many tourists from Russia and
the CIS countries have been seeking
medical treatment in UAE.
What is the process
for a person who is ill and
wants to obtain top notch
medical care here? What
do they need to do?
Dr. Benazir: They will have to source
the hospital according to the specialty
of treatment they wish to come for.
Once the hospital or choice of
hospitals are shortlisted, they can
then contact the hospital and send
the required medical reports after
which the hospital can send them a
treatment plan and a cost estimate.
Once the patient is happy with
the plan of treatment, cost, and
the hospital’s capability to handle
such cases, they can then make
arrangements to visit UAE.
Where do you
foresee the UAE
heading in the future
with regards to medical
tourism?
Dr. Benazir: The UAE has a
major plan laid down for medical
tourism. Especially Dubai being
a major tourist attraction, they
can use this opportunity to attract
medical tourists as well. With high
quality treatment options and well
established rehabilitation centers,
the UAE sets itself to become a
medical tourism hub. Every year,
there has been an increase in the
number of tourists and medical
tourists arriving in UAE. Thus,
Dubai has revealed a master plan
which includes a medical tourism
club for hospitals and a one- stop
shop E-portal which would be
helpful for medical treatment
seeking patients.
What are the key
advantages for a nonresident and a citizen in
obtaining healthcare in
UAE as opposed to their
home country?
Dr. Benazir: Since the UAE wants
to become a medical tourism hub, it
has highly invested in infrastructure,
and gathering well trained Western
doctors, as well as building wellness
and health spas for patients to
rehabilitate. UAE has been able to
attract millions of medical tourists
who get value for money in terms
of healthcare services offered by
many JCI accredited hospitals in
the region.
What can a medical
tourist arriving in UAE
expect?
Dr. Benazir: He/she can expect
the following: economical cost of
treatment, high quality treatment,
all specialties in a smaller
geographical area, well-established
rehabilitation centers, and high
security and standard of living.
What are the most
popular procedures/
treatments at the
moment sought by
medical tourists?
Dr. Benazir: The UAE offers
specialized treatments in many
specialties. Currently, orthopedic
surgeries such as spine surgery and
total knee replacement, cosmetic
and plastic surgeries such as
abdominoplasty, rhinoplasty, and
face lifts are very popular in the
country.
How competitive
is UAE in terms of
providing medical
healthcare to nonresidents? Are prices
competitive in terms of
healthcare?
Dr. Benazir: The UAE is
emerging as a medical tourism
hub and thus all efforts are taken
to provide quality healthcare at
affordable and economical prices
to medical tourists. The UAE has
many major specialties to offer
to medical tourists. The UAE is
competing with already established
medical tourism countries in the
region, thus the prices are set at
an economical range which is
affordable by medical tourists. H
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