Abu Dhabi: An additional 2,100 hospital beds are needed in the emirate of Abu Dhabi by 2025 in order to cater to its growing population.
In a statement sent today, the emirate’s healthcare sector regulator, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (Haad), said the biggest growth in demand will be seen for general medical services and for services related to chronic lifestyle-related diseases like diabetes.
The authority is therefore seeking to encourage private investment into the sector, especially as 70 per cent of all healthcare services in the emirate are currently provided by privately-owned entities.
“We provide investors with a comprehensive plan that details the sector’s capacity and outlines current and future demand for health services. This will aid them in making informed decisions that will serve the overall development of healthcare in Abu Dhabi,” said Dr Maha Taysir Barakat, director general at the Haad.
To that end, the Haad is also participating in Arab Health, the four-day healthcare exhibition and medical congress in Dubai that kicks off on January 25.
According to further statistics released by the Haad, there were a total of 5,737 beds in 2014. These were spread over 1,811 licensed facilities, including 45 hospitals, 991 medical centres and 557 pharmacies. Between them, they employed 8,885 doctors, 16,577 nurses, 2,688 pharmacists and 5,743 technicians and support staff.
Nevertheless, capacity gaps still exist in the provision of services within the fields of psychiatry, orthopaedics, neonatal care, intensive and critical care medicine, plastics and oncological surgery. Investment is also required in paediatrics, immunology, infectious diseases and urology.
An additional 1,700 doctors and 2,900 nurses must be recruited annually to meet the need for healthcare professionals, officials said earlier.
They also expect that the demand for outpatient services will rise substantially over the next few years. In 2014, 99 per cent of all 22.1 million healthcare insurance claims pertained to outpatient visits.
Last year saw the opening of a number of major healthcare facilities in the capital, including the 364-bed Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi that offers services in complex medical fields, the maternal and childcare facility, Danat Al Emarat, and the 80-bed multi-specialty facility, Medeor 24x7. A number of renowned international providers also opened clinics, including the 200-year-old UK eye centre, Moorfields, and Spain-based fertility services specialist Equipo IVI.
