Strong foundation for a thriving ‘Medical Tourism’ industry in UAE

The UAE is currently witnessing progress in the global medical tourism industry today. Being a melting pot of cultures and located only a few hours away from one third of the world’s population, the country is increasingly becoming a preferred choice for regional and international medical tourism business.

Medical tourism and the current medical infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates is one of the highly debated topics at the 5th Hospital Build & Infrastructure Middle East Exhibition & Congress, taking place from 3-5 June 2013 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Dr. Mariam Buti Al Mazrouei, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Corniche Hospital, will be speaking at Hospital Build & Infrastructure Middle East about the ways the UAE government has facilitated for the growth of a medical tourism market.

According to Dr. Al Mazrouei, “The UAE government is very keen on boosting the Medical Tourism industry and has in turn facilitated for medical businesses to not only be established, but also flourish in the country. We see that the medical businesses in UAE largely benefit from the tax free set-up, 100% foreign ownership, and absolutely no restrictions on investment and the availability of the finest state-of-the-art facilities to offer high quality treatments and services in the UAE.”

The private medical sector in the United Arab Emirates is an integral part of the medical tourism industry, and has contributed to the advancement of the country’s medical sector. Private medical businesses have the advantage of being in ‘competition’ which pushes them ten strides ahead in the market. This outlook can be extremely valuable for partnerships with the government healthcare institutions as it provides a great combination.

“Most hospitals in the UAE enjoy quality accreditation and international affiliations, and our healthcare services are on par with international standards. The country boasts great hospitality, a safe environment and a welcoming economy. However, we need to build on the market of cross-border healthcare with a stronger strategic outlook. Although the current infrastructure may require a few years to get to where we need to be, we are well on our way to be placed on the international medical tourism map,” says Dr Mariam Al Mazrouei.

Hospital Build & Infrastructure Middle East is organised by Informa Life Sciences Exhibition and will bring together investors, commissioners, backers and managers of major healthcare building projects together with planning, design, building, operations, management and refurbishment suppliers. Running alongside the exhibition is a multi-disciplinary congress consisting of five leading conferences that will focus on delivering up-to-date information which will address all the disciplines involved with the hospital build process in the Middle East. New for this year is the Hospital of the Future Conference which will focus on new opportunities in improving diagnostic treatment, reducing recovery time and minimising medical errors.