UAE residents prefer doctors of same nationality

When asked if they have a preference in terms of nationality of their treating doctor, four in five of respondents to The National’s YouGov survey admitted they do.

ABU DHABI // Expatriates prefer to be treated by doctors of their own nationality, the survey found.

When asked if they have a preference in terms of nationality of their treating doctor, four in five respondents admit they do.

Sixty-nine per cent of Asians prefer an Asian doctor, 58 per cent of westerners prefer a western doctor and 57 per cent of Arabs prefer an Arab doctor. Many feel it is easier to communicate with a doctor of their nationality.

Alex Paris, 29, a Filipino, says he would prefer to see a doctor from the Philippines.

“Yes, I would ask. Filipino, of course,” Mr Paris says.

A doctor from the same country would break down any communications barrier, says the Abu Dhabi resident. A Filipino doctor would better understand his ailment.

Maliha Khurram, 38, a Pakistani who has been living in Abu Dhabi for two years, says the nationality of a doctor does matter to her.

“I would prefer to consult a doctor from Pakistan or India as I think they would be better placed to communicate with us or understand my problems,” Ms Khurram says.

Mohammed Usman, 28, also from Pakistan, agrees.

“I would prefer to go to an Indian or a Pakistani doctor,” says the Abu Dhabi pharmacist. “The reason is these doctors have worked in poor countries and have more hands-on exposure than doctors in European countries.”

Maria Eisold, 27, from Germany, says the skills and experience of a medical professional matters more than nationality.

“For anything small I would go to a doctor in UAE and the nationality of the doctor makes no difference to me,” the executive assistant says.

“I would look at the qualifications of the doctor, go visit him or her and see if I was comfortable with him or her. If I was, I would go back to that doctor.”

Ryder Smith, of PricewaterhouseCoopers, says being able to communicate with a medical profession in one’s native tongue is a huge draw.

“Hearing things and being able to speak in your native language and having an appreciation of the social norms is obviously very important,” he says.

Lara Al Barazi of YouGov, says: “Although their trust in the UAE healthcare system has increased over the years, it is still under scrutiny and residents require extra assurance in terms of doctors’ qualifications, experience and training they have been through.”