Dubai: A wellness hotel has now been made part of the Dubai Health Tourism experience (DXH) with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) signing a MoU with the Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel group.
Dr Layla Al Marzouqi, Director of Health Regulation and Dubai Medical Tourism Project, said: “We thought it would be good idea to get a medical tourist seeking wellness treatment to begin his journey by checking into a wellness hotel that will take care of all the needs of the patient.
Usually tourists first check into a hotel and then have to go to another health facility. This hotel is smoke free, serves organic health food, has wellness check-up, organises yoga classes, has detox programmes and we will be working in close tandem with them to include many other packages for rejuvenation, anti-ageing and so on.
DXH was launched in April 2016 by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, as a continuation of ‘Dubai, a Global Destination for Medical Tourism’ project.
DXH is a highly integrated programme that aims to promote Dubai as a global centre for the provision of medical tourism services with a target of attracting half a million international patients by 2020. It is estimated that medical tourists will increase by 13 per cent per year and that by 2021 more than 1.3 million medical tourists will visit Dubai.
Humaid Al Qutami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General of DHA, said: “Our strategy is focused on building strong ties with Dubai’s finest health care providers to create an unparalleled experience for medical tourists. DXH group has 32 health care facilities in Dubai and the addition of this provider reflects our recognition of the importance of the wellness industry which aids preventive health care. Healthy eating and exercise are the pillars of good health and incorporating wellness in the hospitality industry is a positive trend.”
Dr Al Marzouqi added: “ We aspire to position Dubai as the first medical tourism destination in the MENA region and to be among the top 10 medical tourism destinations in the world where DXH will be the ultimate gateway to the finest medical experts, premier accredited health care facilities whilst providing an incredibly unique experience in the iconic city of Dubai and wellness plays an important part of this vision.”
