Medical tourism a perfect fit for diversification

Dubai's plan to attract patients from around the world will benefit UAE residents too.

With medical tourism projected to bring 500,000 visitors a year to Dubai by 2020, billions of dirhams are being spent on the infrastructure to make it a treatment hub. As The National reported yesterday, 22 hospitals will be built in Dubai, thousands of staff will be hired and new visas will be offered as part of the city's master plan to cater for the expected arrival of medical tourists.

This is an ambitious goal, but one that Dubai is in a position to bring to reality and one that will broaden the UAE’s economic base. Tourists from the region already visit the city because of treatments, including plastic surgery, for which Dubai has earned a reputation for excellence. But to establish itself as a centre for general medical tourism, the emirate faces challenges that include competition with other established players in the market. To join the first rank of destinations, Dubai will have to find a competitive advantage, through either providing medical services at a lower cost or creating a unique experience for potential patients.

The first course would be difficult, even with the country’s zero-tax regime, compared to established destinations like India, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Many nations’ medical tourism strategy is based on weak currencies offering better value for money to international customers, such as South Africa’s rand or India’s rupee, whereas the dirham is pegged to the dollar. Dubai will be best served by seeking to target middle-income patients who either want to get treatment faster than in their home countries or where treatment is not available.

One appeal of medical tourism is that it creates a virtuous circle in which establishing an industry for foreign patients will improve the care available to UAE residents, as well as generating ancillary therapeutic industries such as laboratory testing. This not only diversifies the UAE economy but also fits squarely into the country’s stated aim of establishing a knowledge-based economy by 2030.

But this also demonstrates the shortage of Emirati medical specialists, many of whom are tempted into management positions. Medicine must be promoted as a serious and noble career for Emiratis, and capacity to train them ought to increase through international medical schools setting up shop in the UAE, just as established universities have in other fields.

By doing this, everyone in the UAE will find themselves in better health.