DUBAI // Improving standards of UAE healthcare must continue if more Emiratis are to choose treatment at home rather than abroad, economists from Abu Dhabi investors Waha Capital have said.
The UAE is on course to achieve its goal of implementing international benchmarks for best healthcare practice by 2021, and that should reduce the government’s healthcare spending as fewer overseas treatments will have to be funded.
But Waha Capital’s Economist Intelligence Unit report, “Investing in Quality”, said the sector must work harder to attract and retain staff, if those improvements are to continue.
Patients travelling abroad for medical treatment often results in higher costs, the report said. A 2012 Gallup survey revealed two in five Emiratis had a preference for overseas treatment.
Salem Al Noaimi, chief executive and managing director of Waha Capital, said credibility and reputation are key to retaining patients in the UAE.
“As international best practice becomes common practice in the UAE, there will be no need to look overseas for care,” he said.
“This will not only alleviate pressure on government budgets, it will also enable patients to receive medical care and recuperate on their home turf, among their families.”
Private healthcare expansion in the UAE has increased the number of doctors and nurses in the sector by 40 per cent since 2012.
The EIU report said staff turnover is likely to remain high, as demand for healthcare workers is expected to rise by 50 per cent over the next six years, to hit government targets.
Economists warned many developing country practitioners are using the UAE as a stepping stone to a career in western Europe and North America, putting further strain on staffing pools.
The report also found that for private healthcare companies looking to expand across the UAE regulatory differences between emirates was a challenge, particularly when licensing healthcare practitioners.
Mark Adams, chief executive of the Anglo Arabian Healthcare Group, said: “It’s clear that staffing is an issue for the sector, and it is up to operators to provide the right incentives to attract and retain skilled employees.
“As quality of healthcare provision rises, the UAE will be recognised by doctors and nurses as one of the most desirable places to work in the world, not a stepping stone.”
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