Dubai ready to become centre of excellence in medical services, education

Dubai will compete in cost and quality with countries in South Asia and the Far East known for their "medical tourism" business.

This was the opinion of a hospital executive who expects an increasing number of patients from neighbouring countries to seek specialist medical services in Dubai even before the planned Dh1.8 billion Dubai Healthcare City admits its first patient.

Michael French, Chief Executive of American Hospital in Dubai (AHD), said that Dubai is ready to become the centre of excellence in medical services and education in the Gulf region.

"Between 12 and 15 per cent of AHD patients come from outside the UAE, which means that there exists an in-bound traffic looking for quality treatment," said French.

According to him, AHD has witnessed a 20 per cent annual increase in the number of patients in the past three years. It also seeks to further develop its international relations to enhance its share throughout the region.

The industry, he said, is getting more competitive and recognition by international benchmarking associations will become a necessity in the coming years. AHD attained its international accreditation in May 2000 from the Joint Commission on International Accreditation (JCIA), a subsidiary of the U.S.-based Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organisations. Being the only hospital in the UAE to have that distinction, experts from the U.S. regularly visit the AHD and compare day-to-day activities against their international standards.

AHD's medical laboratory was also accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in the summer of 2001. It is the first private laboratory in the Middle East to receive this accreditation.

"The past three years have witnessed steady growth in private medical services in the country. New players have been opening their outlets in the emirates."

The biggest development in the Gulf's health industry is the Dubai Healthcare City, announced last November. French said this will add a new dimension to Dubai's success in other areas. Not only will it create more partnerships between the public and private sectors, but also bring in more and better-trained physicians, expand the healthcare services market and encourage greater competition.

"The future for Dubai's healthcare industry is very positive," said French.

The project aims to transform Dubai into a region hub for specialised healthcare and a centre for medical education and research, serving patients in the region, covering more than 30 countries including the Middle East, East Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. DHC will be an all-in-one medical destination that will house healthcare institutions, hospitals and clinics, medical and fitness clusters, laboratories and life sciences research centres, a nursing school and a medical university.

French said, however, they are not threatened by the entry of big names, including Harvard, in the Healthcare City.

"We are quite confident that Dubai's image as a healthcare hub will grow in the coming years. The American Hospital has already set its long-term plan to grow in the coming five years. The hospital has built a strong reputation and does not believe it will be adversely affected by new players. The population of Dubai will grow and the sector will develop which will help everybody and will give people more choices," he said.

AHD's expansion plans include the addition of 65,000 square feet of hospital space. This year, it will have a new 13-bed pediatrics suite, a new 10-bed intensive care unit, enhanced radiology department with the addition of state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, a Multi Slice CT scanner and Nuclear Medicine with the addition of a gamma camera. It will also expand its Emergency Department (to eight beds from four) and will have a new nine-bed endoscopy suite.

The 100-bed hospital provides acute care, general treatment and surgery meeting American standards.

Part of the first phase of its expansion is the establishment of a cardio-surgery programme, a neph-rology centre with the addition of a four-bed renal dialysis centre, oncology with the addition of a five-bed chemotherapy centre, and Lithotripter programme (treatment of kidney stones).

By the end of this year AHD will be able to treat any condition except those related to long-term cancer. It also has a diabetes centre offering care according to the standards recommended by international agencies such as the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes UK, International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes.

In 2001, AHD received the Dubai Quality Appreciation Award in the "Professional" category.

AHD's Total Joints Replacement Centre, the first in the Middle East, (the fourth worldwide after similar centres in Holland, Spain and the UK), trains physicians throughout the Middle East, Africa and the Mediterranean basin with quality training in total joint replacement.

The centre also hosts world-class surgeons who provide consultation and training for its doctors and nurses. Coupled with its extensive surgical expertise, the centre is fully equipped with every possible means to ensure the highest success rates worldwide. It uses the latest and most extensive range of full or partial artificial joints that are only available at the American Hospital Dubai. These capabilities are made available to ensure minimum surgical intervention, with special consideration given to each particular case.