Medical and Healthcare Tourism within Abu-Dhabi - Essay Example

'Medical and Healthcare Tourism within Abu-Dhabi' is a wonderful example of a paper on the health system. 
Healthcare in Abu Dhabi is managed by the HAAD, which is a Health Authority,  in partnership with the  SEHA which runs public health services in the Emirate (UMI, 2012). Emergency treatment is available free of care in public hospitals, and all kinds of care, including elective treatments, are available for a fee at private and public hospitals. Thanks to a mandatory health insurance system for residents, basic health care is well covered (UMI, 2012). For visitors, and those who wish to pay for a higher standard of care, closer to 5-star luxury, there is also an insurance system available.

These developments make the Emirate an attractive location for those who have healthcare needs since there is plenty of choice in the type of care available. One manager notes that Abu Dhabi represents “a beacon for the Middle East” because of the achievements it has demonstrated in opening up healthcare for all and in raising the life expectancy to 76.75 years, which compares extremely well even with Western averages, such as the UK which has a figure of 78 years (Nicholls, 2012).

It is clear from multiple references in the regional press that Abu Dhabi is currently expanding its healthcare facilities. A plan to hold the 33rd World Opthalmology Congress at the new Abu Dhabi Exhibition Centre, for example, will bring over 12,000 international delegates to the UAE, and it will showcase the latest medical facilities that are currently in development (El Shammaa, 2008)  This shows that the government is serious about providing high-quality medical care, not only for local population needs but also in order to benefit from a new industry that focuses on providing health services for visitors.  This new industry is known as “healthcare tourism” and it is set to attract increasing numbers of people who include medical procedures in the list of activities that they wish to pursue in the UAE.

The recent Department of Planning document of 2008 which lays out the vision for Abu Dhabi’s future underlines a commitment to expansion in this area but implies that there may be a need for additional human resources in order to make the vision turn into reality since it notes “Abu Dhabi will have to attract highly qualified doctors and medical scientists as well as train local medical staff in order to develop this sector sufficiently” (Abu Dhabi Government, 2008, p. 117). Expertise is increasing all the time due to strategic partnerships with the United States, for example (Economist, 2010).

The example of Dubai Healthcare City shows that demand for medical tourism in the region is high, and growing: in 2010 about 10 percent of its patients were medical tourists and this rose to about 15 percent in 2011,  and in Al Noor Hospital in Abu Dhabi the current rate of inpatients from abroad is nearly 15% (Ismail, 2012).  According to the latest figures, Abu Dhabi is now the third most popular destination for medical tourism in the Middle East, behind Dubai (2nd) and Jordan (1st), and this is largely due to its excellent healthcare facilities comprising 13 public facilities as well as  9 international-standard private hospitals (UMI, 2012).