Dubai: The ADX listed Burjeel Holdings is opening 9 primary care centres in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, as UAE healthcare companies see more possibilities in offering easy access, more cost effective care for residents.
Burjeel says the new facilities will serve as community hubs as the population base in the country keeps expanding. “The new primary care clinics will reinforce Burjeel Holdings’ established hub-and-spoke network, which is forecast to perform more than 300,000 outpatient visits per year and drive cross-group referrals,” said a statement.
In the post-Covid period, UAE’s biggest hospital operators had focused on adding to their specialty/super-specialty care offerings. It was felt in healthcare circles that the UAE already had an extensive primary care network. But with a surging resident base, it may be time for new options to come in and offer services.
Burjeel’s new clinics will ‘meet the specific healthcare needs of various communities, including both residential and industrial areas’. Six will open in the Abu Dhabi region - Medeor Al Nahyan, LLH Najda, LLH Ghayati, Lifecare Al Mafraq, LLH Al Nasser, and LLH Razeen -, as well as two clinics in Al Ain.
One clinic will be the LLH Dubai Investment Park. The facilities entail a Dh20 million investment and will be operational within the next two months.
"The new facilities are strategically located to meet the needs of the diverse communities we serve, with a special focus on improving access to healthcare for industrial workers and expatriate populations," said John Sunil, Group CEO.
Plus, there is broad agreement in the local healthcare sector that much of the needs of residents can be handled at the primary care facilities itself. This would also reduce costs on the individuals and for the insurers too on their medical claims. Healthcare industry sources say the primary care space in the UAE could witness more investments as well as buyouts of independent clinics by the big entities.
