The health industry in the United Arab Emirates has seen massive expansion in that last four decades. The Emirate’s capital, Abu Dhabi, started with only four small medical facilities and was widely known for its insufficient access and care in the 1970s. Today, there are hundreds of hospitals and clinics over the entire Emirate. The advances continue to grow, not just in hospitals and clinics but in preventative and healthy living campaigns.
According to UAE Health Insurance partners, the Emirate’s health facilities provide treatment in various medical specialties to more than 2.3 million residents, and hundreds of thousands on medical tourists every year – and its facilities and treatments continue to grow, at an annual rate of 20 per cent.
Some of the most significant steps to health care in the UAE came over the last 10 years. The Emirate in 2008, required all residents and visitors to have some form of health insurance, which many consider to be the biggest achievement in their health sector to date. This resulted in all citizens, not just white-collared workers, to have medical coverage, which resulted in the nearly one million blue-collar workers to have medical support.
Along with these advances in medical coverage, the Emirate has also engaged in preventative programs to increase the overall health of its citizens. UAE health insurance companies note that 50 per cent of the Emirate’s population is below the age of 15 years. This has led the health authority to introduce a program called ‘Eat Right, Get Active’, to schools across the Emirate, particularly as non-communicable diseases, like diabetes are on the rise as the affluence comes to the Emirate.
Medical experts in the country say that the health care in the Emirate will continue to grow, as it encompasses numerous specialties, including even neurosurgery and cancer care and that every day brings improvement to the people of the United Arab Emirates.