Healthcare debates

Dubai: Health care tourism may just be the right choice for you, if you have the money and are looking for specialised medical care, most Gulf News readers said.

For someone who grew up in Houston, US, Gulf News reader Faruk Bhagani, knows fully well the benefits of health care tourism.

He said: "Health care tourism is one of the key areas that have given prominence to the city of Houston. While living in the US, I met a lot of people, typically the wealthier lot, who travelled from the GCC and other parts of Asia to get specialised medical care."

He noted that many of the established health care institutes in the US were now planning to set up centres in the UAE, given its key geographical location.

Raising the need to develop a culture of providing good medical services, Bhagani said that while North American and European countries had an edge, the UAE too could develop as a medical hub for the region.

"There is a culture that needs to be developed, and I feel that this would be happening here soon. If the UAE brings in the right amount of care in delivering medical treatments, it could soon be the country people would prefer to travel to, instead of Thailand or other Far Eastern countries," he said.

The recently released report by Alpen Capital on the GCC health care industry also stated that the health care sector in the GCC is on a growth trajectory, with fundamental shifts expected in the infrastructure quality in the sector.

Justified costs

Olesya Kozlova, a 26-year-old mortgage supervisor living in Dubai, felt that her first choice would be the UAE, when it comes to medical checks and treatment. She felt that the added expenses for travel and stay would not be justified for basic procedures.

"If I get the same quality of treatment at the same price, I wouldn't prefer travelling. However, if there is limited options available for the kind of treatment I need, I would rather travel to a place which can provide the best treatment, even if it means spending more money" she said.

Another Gulf News reader, Mask Mustafa, said that unless there were consolidated services available in the UAE for the treatment one needed, travelling abroad may be a more sensible option.

"There are some specialised treatments for which certain countries or hospitals are famous. It would make sense to travel and get the best treatment, like a few people I know visit India for special massages or treatments," he said.

However, when it comes to general health checks, the 33-year-old business development manager opts out of travelling abroad. For him, residents need to look at what the situation demands and take the call on whether to travel abroad or get treated in the UAE.

Have you ever travelled abroad for a medical check-up or treatment? How was the experience? What do you think are the key areas that need to be focused on to make the UAE a regional health care tourism hub?