Dubai is witnessing a mushrooming of private clinics, said a senior Ministry of Health official yesterday. Rashid bin Obaid, Director, Private Medical Profession, said the number of private clinics currently functioning in Dubai is 429, not counting five private hospitals.

Going by the number of applications submitted to the ministry by medical practitioners, he added: "This number is expected to grow by the end of the year. If you compare the population of Dubai, the number of private clinics we have is quite large."

According to Dubai Municipality's statistical year book for 2001, Dubai's population in 2000 stood at 862,387.

"Two more private hospitals are going to be built soon in Dubai. The mushrooming of private clinics in Dubai will obviously boost the quality of medical services," he said.

Pointing out that this sudden boom in private clinics is an offshoot of the change in medical laws, he explained: "Earlier, people used to get free medication in public clinics. Now they have to pay. Hence the drift of more patients to private clinics."

He said the ministry did impose a ban on issuing licences to private clinics five years ago. "The ban was lifted as the ministry was confronted with many applicants. Any medical practitioner who wants to set up a clinic must follow the criteria drawn up by the ministry.

"Those found violating the regulations will face a cancellation of licence. We have inspectors running regular checks on private clinics. About five were closed down by the ministry last year. Six clinics are inspected each day. But with the growing number it is impossible for us to get a health inspector for each clinic."