UAE among top 20 countries globally in healthcare spending per capita

Dubai, UAE:  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) spends approximately $1,200 (AED4,420) per person each year on healthcare, ranking it among the top 20 countries in the world for healthcare spending per capita.  NMC healthcare, one of the largest healthcare providers in the private sector in the UAE, continues to support the UAE healthcare authorities by increasing their capabilities and facilities to cater to the growing UAE population.

Aster DM Healthcare, American Hospital Dubai, Al Noor Hospitals Group, Gulf Drug, Al Zahra Hospital along, along with more than 330 other UAE healthcare companies (17% increase from 2014), will participate at Arab Health, the region’s largest healthcare exhibition and congress, from 26-29 January 2015 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center.

“We strongly believe that our participation in Arab Health will further cement our position as pioneers in the UAE healthcare industry. The exhibition offers a networking and knowledge exchange platform amongst industry giants,” says Dr B R Shetty, Founder & CEO, NMC Healthcare.

The UAE healthcare authorities have been moving towards a universal healthcare scheme in order to maintain sustainable healthcare expenditures. Laws passed in 2005 and again in 2007 required all expatriates living in Abu Dhabi to acquire private medical insurance and the laws also gave the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) the mandate to develop insurance policies and provide health insurance regulation. Today, Dubai is in the process of rolling out its universal healthcare insurance system that mandates that the population of the entire emirate must be covered by 2016.

Commenting on the mandatory health insurance system, Dr B R Shetty says that this will be a big driver for the growth of the healthcare sector in the UAE with the sector expected to expand exponentially in the next 3 - 5 years.

“Since becoming the first healthcare company from the GCC to be listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2012, NMC has opened three new facilities and will open two more in the near future. This will not only make the medical services more accessible to people but also double our bed capacity in the coming years.  NMC also supports the UAE government’s vision of becoming a top medical tourism destination through its 12 healthcare facilities including the centres of excellence spread across the country that cater to almost 90% of the UAE’s population and visitors from other countries,” says Dr B R Shetty.