Treatment abroad: United Arab Emirates (UAE) 

The United Arab Emirates is a burgeoning destination for medical tourism, offering world-class healthcare facilities specialising in fields such as cosmetic surgery, orthopaedics, and fertility treatments.

The United Arab Emirates (also the UAE or the Emirates) is a Middle Eastern country situated in Southwest Asia, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia and is made up of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajmn, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain.

It is one of the most liberal countries in the Gulf, with other cultures and beliefs generally tolerated. The people of the UAE generally enjoy a high standard of living because of oil wealth.

With quality medical staff and equipment, healthcare in the UAE has progressed from a primitive state to standards on a par with the Western world. Dubai, a destination already known as a luxury vacation paradise, offers the ultimate shopping and tourism experience. The UAE’s official language is Arabic but many people speak English, particularly those who are in business or commerce.

Healthcare available is of a high standard and at competitive rates compared to the West. Modern medical management, efficient clinical governance, introduction of the best facilities in the field of medicine and highly qualified and experienced doctors all adds to the uncompromising quality of healthcare in the region.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), is a relative newcomer to medical tourism, but is quickly catching up, with recent estimates indicating that the number of foreign patients is growing each year.

For more information visit the Dubai Government’s Department of Tourism & Commerce website.

The International Dubai airport website provides information on flights and travel.

Why Consider Dubai for medical tourism?

Most people consider medical tourism to take advantage of discount prices in countries where wages are low and the cost of living makes treatments a fraction of the price you’d find at home. They are happy to put up with standards a little lower than they are used to, perhaps in former Soviet republics or developing Asian nations, in exchange for huge savings.

So why would you consider the 22nd most expensive city on the planet, where almost everything costs more? And why would you choose a desert emirate that is several hours flight time from the US or most European states?

The simple answer is pure quality. Dubai has invested in medical tourism like nowhere else, with the Dubai Healthcare City in a class of its own when it comes to cutting edge equipment and state of the art facilities. Medical tourism is a big priority for the Dubai Health Authority, and they are pumping millions of dollars into the sector. The Medical Tourism Initiative, launched in 2012 by the Crown Prince is coordinating the growth of the sector, and just like their tower blocks and hotels, they will not accept second best. They aim to make Dubai the world’s number one medical tourist’s destination in the coming years.

Dubai Healthcare City alone is home to two full hospitals, over 120 world-class medical clinics, cutting edge diagnostic labs and over 4,000 leading healthcare professionals, all housed in a breathtaking 4.1million sq ft location in the heart of Dubai. High salaries and tax-free earnings make a tempting package that is attracting the world’s best surgeons and consultants to the emirate.

Dubai offers a great place to take a break either before or after your treatment, with superb shopping and leisure facilities at every turn. Dubai also boasts a huge range of spa facilities to help you recover and recuperate, with every conceivable style and philosophy on offer, from Thai massage to Turkish baths. Naturally, Dubai aims to be the best at this too, with practitioners recruited directly from the home countries of these treatments.

Dubai may not offer the cheapest option for the medical tourist, but it undeniably offers the very best. From world-class treatments, including both mainstream and niche therapies, to unrivalled luxury in the hotels, restaurants and facilities, there is simply no other medical tourism destination that even comes close to the Dubai experience.

Reasons to choose United Arab Emirates

Medical facilities amongst the finest in the world

No expense spared in your comfort and care

Government backed healthcare tourism projects

Dubai Healthcare City has 4million sq ft of facilities

Unrivalled luxury at every turn

World-class shopping and leisure facilities

The healthcare system in Dubai

The Dubai healthcare system is generally of a very high standard, although it has struggled to keep pace with the explosive population growth of the city. The Department of Health and Medical Services (DOHMS) runs around 20 hospitals and clinics in the emirate, with most healthcare for residents provided free or heavily subsidised. Capacity has been increased significantly in recent years but this remains an issue for the DOHMS.

Medical costs are high for visitors, although emergency treatment is always provided free in life threatening situations. Expats who are temporarily resident in the emirate are not entitled to free treatment, however they can apply for a health card entitling them to significant subsidies. Private health insurance is still strongly advised and is provided by most companies who bring workers to the city.

One of the biggest causes of medical problems in Dubai is the heat, with many visitors suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion and dehydration, which can all have serious consequences. The level of dust, both from the desert sands and from the 24/7 construction work, can also be a problem for visitors with respiratory issues. Once again, you will be treated free in an emergency, but you need to have good quality insurance for less severe problems, or you will face a significant bill. Just talking to a doctor will cost around £40/$65/€48 with extra costs for any tests or medicines you need and double the charge for night call outs.

That said, the facilities for medical tourism are among the best in the world, with Dubai Medical City leading the field not only in the quality of treatments on offer, but also in the range. While in many countries, such investment creates a two-tier system, with better facilities for tourists than for the general population, in Dubai it is welcomed as it eases the pressure on the otherwise excellent public hospitals, allowing them to better serve the small percentage of Dubai nationals who live in the city.

Whether they work in the private or public sectors, most of the healthcare professionals in Dubai have trained overseas, in the US, UK, India and Europe. The tax-free status of Dubai makes working there very popular, which in turn means that standards can be set very high, with only the most qualified practitioners allowed in.

This cosmopolitan culture also has the advantage that wherever you are from, and whatever treatment you are seeking, there is a good change that you will find a doctor who speaks your language, making your treatment so much less stressful.

Dubai: Travel and accommodation

One of the keys to Dubai’s success is its easy access by air from almost anywhere in the world. Dubai is a central hub for flights from the West to Asia and Australia, with 120 world airlines flying in and out of the city. Flight time to Dubai is around 7 hours from London or Paris and around twice that from New York.

Dubai International Airport is the second busiest in the world in terms of passenger numbers, with over 57 million people passing through in 2012 more than a million per week. Passenger numbers are growing rapidly and are expected to reach 98 million or two million a week by 2020.

Emirates is the national airline, which serves over a hundred destinations in over sixty countries around the world, including Europe and the United States. Flights are frequent, with London alone having around 135 flights a week to Dubai on Emirates and other airlines, and many other European cities having similar numbers. Emirates are well known for the high levels of comfort and quality on their flights, with their distinctive uniformed staff setting the standard other airlines aspire to.

Within Dubai, transport used to be a major problem, with population numbers rising faster than the system could cope with. However, as you might expect, the emirate has thrown a significant amount of money at the problem, creating a Metro rail transport system and improving the roads and the number of buses and taxis available. The $3.89 billion Metro system currently has two lines, but is expanding rapidly with two new lines under construction. Somewhat disconcertingly, the Metro trains have no driver and run on automatic routes.

As for accommodation, Dubai is quite simply without rival. You can stay under the sea at the Palm Atlantis, or book a room in the world’s tallest building. This is the city that had to invent a whole new category the seven star hotel because the existing ratings simply were not high enough for them. You can stay on one of islands of the famous world map in the bay, or one of the super-luxury desert resorts just outside the city. The choice, as well as the quality, is outstanding.

As part of the drive to attract healthcare tourists, many Dubai treatment packages include a stay at one of the fine hotels in the city, giving you the chance to experience the very best in facilities and hospitality throughout your break, as well as during your procedure.