UAE medical sector in sound health

Health centres in the UAE increased by 9.3 per cent to reach 106 in 2001 compared to 1992 figures. Similarly, the number of doctors increased by 34 per cent from 1992 to 2,238 in 2001, according to recently released statistics by the UAE Ministry of Health.

As the number of hospitals decreased by ten per cent to 26 institutions in 2001 compared to 1992, the number of beds also decreased by five per cent to 4,107 during the same period.

It is important to note that such a decrease is partially attributed to the fact that supervision of Tawam and Corniche hospitals was moved from the ministry to the Abu Dhabi government.

A close look at the statistics shows that healthcare indicators have improved as the services have increased along with the population growth. Thus, in 2001, each medical centre served 31,038 people – an increase of 50 per cent compared with 1992.

Also, there was one doctor for every 1,470 persons, an increase of 20 per cent compared to 1992 figures. There was one nurse per 571 persons in 2001, a one-third increase from the 1992 indicator, and one bed per 801 persons, showing an increase of 72 per cent for the same period.

To achieve these results, the UAE has invested heavily in the health sector. Government expenditure over the nine years from 1992 to 2001 has been increasing continuously.

The sector has been a major concern for the UAE. The Ministry of Health's budget increased by 52 per cent to reach Dh1560.1 million in 2001 compared with 1992.

However, the improvement of the sector has been constrained by the population growth. In spite of the continuous budget hike, the individual's share fluctuated during these nine years. This indicates that at times the budget increase did not match the population growth. For instance, per capita allocation decreased from Dh481 in 2000 to Dh 474 in 2001.

In the UAE, there is a very high demand for medical care. Accordingly, in 2001, the bed circulation per annum (number of patients per bed) averaged 38 patients while the bed occupancy rate (bed utilisation as a percentage of total available beds per annum) was 58.48 per cent.

In hospitals like the Central Hos-pital in Abu Dhabi, the occupancy rate was 100 per cent and 70 per cent in other hospitals such as Seif Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah and Kuwaiti hospital in Sharjah.

The quality of medical service is obvious from the number of professionals working in the health institutions. For instance, in 2001, specialists comprised 34.4 per cent of the total number of doctors working in institutions supervised by the ministry. Also, there were 11,226 technicians during the same period.

It is important to note that16 per cent of experts had specialised in internal medicine, 12 per cent in surgery, 11 per cent in paediatrics, five per cent in orthopaedics, seven per cent in gynaecology, four per cent in psychiatry, and 45 per cent in other fields.

Moreover, in 2001, UAE nationals working in the public institutions comprised 16 per cent of the total number of doctors, 25 per cent of pharmacists, 22 per cent of technicians, and 2.8 per cent of nurses. However, they represented the majority among the administrative staff.

During the same year, males comprised the majority of doctors, dental technicians and assistant pharmacists, while females comprised the majority of dentists, pharmacists, nurses and assistant technicians.

The geographical distribution of health centres reflects the country's concern for people's health. Thus, of the total number of hospitals, 57.7 per cent were in urban areas and the remaining in rural areas. To make up for the fewer number in the rural areas, the ministry established most of the medical centres in these areas (65.1 per cent).

The UAE has also set up clinics in schools. In 2001, these clinics numbered 653 in the country. Also, there were 11 centres providing medical services for schoolchildren.

Further, the UAE government has provided special care to the mother and child by establishing ten mothercare centres within public medical institutions and 108 units within medical institutions. To round off its medical ser-vices, the government also established pharmacies.

In 2001, these numbered 166 with 170 pharmacists and 638 assistant pharmacists. There were also seven centres and 83 units within the health institutions specialising in dental care during the same year.

As a result of the special attention given by the government, the health indicators have been favourable for the people whose life expectancy is now in the 70s. Also, infant mortality decreased from 9.57 per 1,000 to 8.9 in 2001, and neonatal mortality from 6,57 in 1999 to 6 per 1,000 in 2001.