Dubai: Big international names in the health care industry are keen to enter the UAE and there has been a huge expansion in the sector during the past two years, a senior private health care provider said.
Dr V.P. Shamsheer, managing director of Lifeline Group, announced it will open two new hospitals in Abu Dhabi this year, one of them in the industrial area in Mussafah.
Shortage of staff
Shamsheer would not divulge more details about the second hospital, only saying that it would be in the heart of the capital city and would be operated on an entirely new concept. "It does not look like a hospital," he said.
The shortage of high-end medical staff was being experienced worldwide, he said and had no hesitation in admitting that it was difficult to get nurses and doctors to come and work here.
"We are stepping up our recruitment process and looking in different markets," he said, adding that one of the approaches to tackle a shortage of competent medical professionals was to make more lucrative offers to attract medical professionals. Dr Shamsheer said that getting a licence is still very difficult and suggested that one aspect of the health care industry that could do with immediate attention was the fast-tracking of approvals for doctors and nurses, he said.
The change in the insurance law has changed the health care scenario in Abu Dhabi, he said. He added that, with the prices now regulated, patients no longer have to worry about the cost of treatment.
"The accessibility to good health care has improved," he said, adding that general health awareness had also improved. "Prevention is now become more significant," he said.
"It is cheaper than the cure," he said, adding that corporates are now stepping in and becoming more socially responsible.
Doctors should not over-investigate, but at the same time should not under-investigate, he said, commenting on why private doctors order so many tests.
"Some diseases require certain tests which are mandatory,' he said. "Patients are very knowledgeable today," he said observing that they were not taking everything doctors said at face value.
