Dubai Healthcare City boosts Phase 2 expansion plans to cater to growing healthcare needs of Dubai

Dubai: By 2030, more than 11 million people are expected to call the UAE home, with more than four per cent of those over the age of 65. Such growth will result in demand for an additional 8,300 physicians and 8,800 nurses by 2025. As Dubai’s population continues to grow, the demand for quality healthcare among the emirate’s residents and visitors also continues to rise.

To help meet those needs and facilitate quality care, Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), the emirate’s healthcare and wellness free zone, continues to expand its footprint and offerings to high-calibre local and global healthcare providers eager to establish a presence in Dubai’s healthcare market. It is a market set to play a pivotal role in catapulting growth in the MENA healthcare sector from $144 billion in 2020 to $243 billion by 2023.

Over the past 12 months, DHCC has witnessed a steady growth (12.5 per cent) in the number of business partners establishing a base within the ecosystem, specifically DHCC Phase 2 –the 19 million sqft wellness hub and urban oasis in the waterfront Al Jadaf area set against Dubai Creek.

Established in 2002 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, DHCC brings together core healthcare services, attracting the best in class global and regional names, as well as a network of businesses from hospitality to consultancies and retail outlets.

Some 453 clinical and non-clinical business partners now call DHCC home, including 95 international companies with regional headquarters in Dubai’s health and wellness destination, as well as over 168 clinical facilities and 10 locally and internationally leading hospitals. With its strategic location at the heart of the emirate, DHCC is a comprehensive healthcare ecosystem that enhances prospects for business growth, collaboration, strategic partnerships, and professional networks.

Various options, offerings

With Dubai in need of an additional 1,200 outpatient rooms by 2025 to meet the demands for specialised healthcare services, the Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA), the governing body of DHCC, continues to implement the Phase 2 expansion to attract investors and business partners from the local and international healthcare community. It is providing various options for small businesses and startups to leading medical enterprises such as hospitals and medical centres.

“Our strategy for developing DHCC is aligned with Dubai’s economic vision to elevate the emirate’s position on the Global Competitiveness Index,” said Jamal Ahmad Abdulsalam, CEO of Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA).

He highlighted that DHCC benefits from the unique connectivity offered by Dubai’s location at the intersection of global roads, providing partners with an integrated business ecosystem with advanced infrastructure to support their success. Furthermore, as a preferred destination for medical, wellness, academic, and research institutions DHCC complements its offering with a selection of modern lifestyle options, providing its visitors with a wide range of hospitality, shopping, and entertainment features.

“We constantly strive to improve the services we provide to our local and international business partners in the medical and support services fields. This is where Phase 2 comes as a major focus of our business strategy,” Abdulsalam pointed out.

“Our expansion master plan focuses on driving the private sector’s contribution in developing the healthcare ecosystem in the emirate, while attracting business partners from prominent medical service providers.”

Multiple MoUs

As part of its commitment to attract business partners capable of providing specialised medical services that fulfil the needs of Dubai’s healthcare sector, DHCA has inked several MoUs over the past year with a select group of local and international institutions keen to establish a presence in Phase 2.

These add to an already existing portfolio including Clemenceau Medical Center, Barraquer UAE Eye Hospital, the VITA Elderly Care Complex, and Asan–UAE Gastroenterology Hospital, Asan Medical Center’s first project outside South Korea.

Moreover,’ this year saw the Prime Healthcare Group laying the foundation for its large-scale ‘Prime Heart and Lung Hospital’ in DHCC Phase 2, making it the latest addition to DHCC’s growing ecosystem. The new hospital bolsters DHCC’s position as Dubai’s leading healthcare and wellness freezone, as well as a prime and thriving destination for healthcare providers and patients seeking excellent healthcare services.

“Our methodology, which focuses on business partners as a top priority, has always been one of our compelling and competitive advantages that attract investors to our freezone. We ensure a seamless business setup journey allowing partners to focus on delivering quality healthcare services to patients. We look forward to inaugurating the new Prime Heart and Lung Hospital as it aligns with our Phase 2 masterplan to meet Dubai’s healthcare demands,” said Abdulsalam.

Milestone facility

Dr Jamil Ahmed, founder and managing director of Prime Healthcare Group said: “Our collaboration with DHCA marks the start of constructions for Prime Heart and Lung Hospital in DHCC Phase 2. The milestone facility will include three centres of excellence dedicated to heart, lung, and oncology.”

“At Prime Healthcare Group, it is our mission and vision to chart new paths in transformative healthcare and technology in medicine to enable happier tomorrows for humanity. Prime Heart and Lung Hospital is one more iteration of our commitment to this goal, reinforcing Dubai’s position as a destination for medical excellence. It further expands the boundaries of next-generation healthcare and brings a world-class medical facility to the UAE and the region,” added Dr Ahmed.

Abdulsalam added that Dubai Healthcare City Phase 2 would continue to expand and grow with future-focused, transformative healthcare players.