At the heart of Dubai’s ambitious journey has beenan unwavering commitment to ensure the very best in healthcare to reassure people from every corner of the world who have made it home, drawn by its fervent desire to shape a new tomorrow and foster talent, innovation and new enterprise across various sectors. The outcome is evident – a healthcare sector that rivals the best in the world. Inspired by the emirate’s visionary leadership, it has been able to emerge as one of the world’s leading healthcare and medical tourism destinations thanks to its advanced healthcare infrastructure, evolved healthcare systems, and ability to extend world-class medical services to all segments of society.

One of the most remarkable features of Dubai’s healthcare transformation is its adoption of a comprehensive and intelligent healthcare system. The emirate has pioneered a ‘smart’ approach to healthcare, seamlessly integrating different elements to create a holistic and extremely efficient healthcare ecosystem that not only prioritises patients but significantly enhances the overall standards of healthcare services and infrastructure.

At the forefront of Dubai’s transformative healthcare journey stands the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), which has played a pivotal role in regulating healthcare facilities and services, fostering excellence in healthcare delivery, shaping healthcare policy, and ensuring that Dubai’s healthcare sector continues to thrive and evolve while integrating cutting-edge advancements.

His Excellency Awadh Seghayer Al Ketbi, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority, said that Dubai’s healthcare sector remains on an unwavering path of progress, characterised by continuous advancements in its infrastructure, cutting-edge technology, state-of-the-art medical facilities, sophisticated systems, and innovative smart solutions.He attributed the sector’s progress to the support and guidance of the leadership, emphasising Dubai’s readiness to keep pace with global healthcare advancements and smart transformations to provide the best medical services in keeping with the highest international standards.

“DHA recognises the value and importance of achieving advanced rankings on the global competitiveness scale in the healthcare sector. It spares no effort to develop the sector according to the highest standards, with the goal of making Dubai the preferred destination of choice for people seeking healthcare from both inside and outside the country,” His Excellency Al Ketbi said.

He highlighted the Authority’s keenness to building partnerships with relevant institutions and stakeholders, both locally and internationally, noting that “DHA prioritises the strategic goals of the Dubai Government and the aspirations of the emirate to achieve a better future for the community and ensure their well-being.”

Reflecting its commitment to providing top-notch digital services, the Dubai Health Authoritycurrently provides a total of 77 smart services across its diverse platforms. These services encompass health tourism, health insurance, medical committee services, overseas treatment services, health offices, public health services, administrative support, health regulation services, medical educationand research services.

During the first half of 2023, a total of 847,000 individuals benefited from the services provided by DHA, marking an increase of 136,000 compared to the same period in 2022. The Authorityprovides a total of 10 administrative and support servicesincluding medical auditing for ‘special parking permits for People of Determination’ in collaboration with the Roads and Transport Authority, besides the issuance of birth certificates, as well as health regulation services. Healthcare regulation alone accounts for 30 services, which range from submitting requests for adding new facilities at healthcare establishments to initiating name changes for health facilities.

In line with the Dubai Government’s digital transformation strategy, DHA has transformed all licensing services for healthcare professionals and facilities into automated services through the ‘Sheryan’ licensing system.

Additionally, DHA launched the Dubai Health Experience (DXH) membership service, which aims to position Dubai as a leading destination for medical tourism by providing a wide range of medical specialties and high-quality healthcare services to a growing number of people from overseas seeking out treatment and care in the emirate. The service benefits healthcare facilities by expanding their patient base and international patients by offering them access to top-notch medical services in Dubai.In 2022, Dubai hosted over 674,000 health tourists, generating nearly AED1 billion in revenue.

The DHA’s digital health insurance portal currently serves more than four million people. During the first six months of 2023, DHA processed approximately 20 million insurance claims, averaging 109,000 claims daily. Additionally, the number of electronically approved medical prescriptions reached approximately 9 million between January and June 2023.

Medical Education and Research

In the context of medical education and research too,DHAprovides a range of distinguished servicesincluding a wide array of educational programmes, residency opportunities, and specialised medical trainings across various disciplines. Additionally, such services open up avenues to continuous professional development, research consultancy, scientific conferences, and extensive training opportunities. At least 60,000 healthcare professionals have benefited from medical education and research services in Dubai to date.

In line with the DHA’s commitment to staying at the forefront of technological advancements in healthcare delivery, it has introduced telemedicine, or virtual healthcare services,adhering to the most rigorous standards and clinical guidelines for remote care. Since the beginning of 2023, a total 129 healthcare facilities are offering telemedicine services.The number of remote medical consultations in 2022 reached approximately 293,000, an increase of 23% compared to the 237,000 consultations in 2021,with satisfaction rates among patients and providers put at 92% and 96% respectively.

Customer Happiness

DHAalso remains dedicated to delivering advanced services and attaining the highest levels of customer satisfaction and happiness through its customer happiness centres. The Authority offers all its services through various smart channels, including itsofficial website, smart application, and call centre. It also routinely evaluates customer satisfaction through quarterly happiness studies. Notably, the customer satisfaction rate for the first half of 2023 reached 86%.

Dubai’s healthcare sector stands as a shining testament to visionary leadership and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Guided by a forward-thinking approach, Dubai has embarked on a transformative journey to establish itself as a global beacon of excellence in healthcare. With advanced infrastructure, a highly skilled workforce, inclusive policies, and innovative technology, the emirate continues to raise the bar in all aspects of healthcare.

The Dubai Health Authority, at the helm of this evolution, is instrumental in delivering advanced services, ensuring customer satisfaction, and embracing the digital age to provide seamless healthcare experiences. As a result, Dubai not only excels as a global healthcare leader but also sets a new standard for the world to follow.