Salem Al Ameri (Abu Dhabi), head of the FNC’s health committee, says there is a need for a new law to ensure hospitals and clinics abide by international standards. Silvia Razgova / The National
Salem Al Ameri (Abu Dhabi), head of the FNC’s health committee, says there is a need for a new law to ensure hospitals and clinics abide by international standards. Silvia Razgova / The National
Salem Al Ameri (Abu Dhabi), head of the FNC’s health committee, says there is a need for a new law to ensure hospitals and clinics abide by international standards. Silvia Razgova / The National
Salem Al Ameri (Abu Dhabi), head of the FNC’s health committee, says there is a need for a new law to ensure hospitals and clinics abide by international standards. Silvia Razgova / The National

Government

Members will discuss health care, patient rights at FNC session

Salem Al Ameri, head of the FNC's health committee, said the bill will guarantee rights for patients and doctors, with heavy fines in case of breaches. The bill replaces an old law.

Ola Salem

November 09, 2014

  • English
  • Arabic

ABU DHABI // Debate begins at the Federal National Council on Tuesday on a proposed new law governing medical practice and patients’ rights.

“With the developments in the UAE, there is a need for a new law to ensure hospitals and clinics abide by international standards,” said Salem Al Ameri (Abu Dhabi), head of the council’s health committee.

Under the new law, doctors will be required to disclose all relevant information to patients and provide them with full details of their treatment, potential side effects and how much it costs.

“There are a lot of rights for patients under the new law,” Mr Al Ameri said.

“I believe the right to know the cost of treatment will prove popular.” Hospitals and clinics will also be required to respond to any patient complaints within 15 days.

They will need to follow international standards when transporting medical equipment and disposing of medical waste, and will no longer be able to employ unlicensed medical staff.

The bill also covers sterilising medical equipment and malpractice insurance for doctors.

The last federal law on medical practice dates from 2007. Its proposed replacement will apply to all private healthcare facilities, hospitals and clinics.

The FNC will discuss the proposed new law on Tuesday with the Minister of Health, Abdulrahman Al Owais, who will also be questioned on other health issues.

Ali Al Nuaimi (Ajman) will ask Dr Al Owais about the ministry’s procedures for issuing expatriates with certificates of freedom from disease. He said procedures differed between emirates and there was a need for a unified system.

“We want the best procedures to be followed here and for an easier system for people to apply and obtain these certificates,” he said. He will also call for expatriate workers to have health checks in their home countries before coming to the UAE.

Mr Al Nuaimi will also ask the minister for an update on a national nutrition strategy that the ministry announced three years ago. As far as he knew, he said, nothing had been done to promote healthier living to combat the rise in diabetes and obesity.

Dr Mona Al Bahar (Dubai), a social worker, will ask the minister about plans to refurbish and develop private hospitals specialising in mental health.

Marwan bin Ghalita (Dubai) will ask the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Mohammed Al Gergawi, about developing a federal record of property owners. Hamad Al Rahoomi (Dubai) will ask Dr Rashid bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, about new categories for fishermen that force them to choose between two techniques, either net or traditional fishing cage.

The public session will begin at 9am at the FNC headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

osalem@thenational.ae

While you're here

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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