A total of 1.2 million patients, indicating an elevation in medical tourism profile, visited the Dubai Health Care City (DHCC) last year compared to one million recorded in 2013, a senior official at the DHCC has said.
"Our 2014 figures represent the growth we expected. We recorded our highest patient visits, and found that laparoscopic surgeries such as gynaecological treatments, minimally invasive cosmetic procedures, laser eye procedures and CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) treatments were common. Our medical tourism profile has been elevated with more robust hard and soft infrastructure and accompanying policies and regulations," the CEO of DHCC, Marwan Abedin, told Gulf News daily.
Disclosing some of the landmark highlights of 2014, he said, "From 2014 first quarter, our roadmap focused on our work in health care, medical education, investment and regulatory. Our landmark announcement was the establishment of the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, which currently has an operational dental college, and admissions for its College of Medicine are expected by September 2015. The Mohammed bin Rashid University Hospital is being developed in parallel." The pace has been set for DHCC which is already looking to expansion into Phase 2 of its growth, he noted, adding, "In 2015, we will announce projects in Phase 1 linked to increasing medical specialisation and capacity. In Phase 2, we will welcome our first operational business partner. Towards community awareness, we are planning initiatives that will address some of the most pressing health challenges including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.