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An Overview of Health Care System in United Arab Emirates
An Overview of Health Care System in United Arab Emirates
Standards of health care are considered to be generally high in the United Arab Emirates,
resulting from increased government spending during strong economic years. The UAE has
private health sector that delivers a high standard of health care to the population.
The UAE has a population of approximately 9.4 million, out of which about 85% are
expatriates. The UAE's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to expand 3.5% in 2019
compared to 2.8% in 2018, thanks to an Abu Dhabi-led $13.6 billion stimulus package
announced in June 2018 and a host of measures taken to improve the ease of doing
The creation of a world-class healthcare infrastructure is a top priority for the government
of the UAE and, as a result, the sector has advanced and expanded significantly during the
past few years. The World Health Organization determined that a third of adults in the UAE
are obese, and one out of five people live with diabetes. As the incidences of lifestyle
diseases increase, these populations, supported by relatively high levels of income, will
Healthcare in the UAE is regulated at both the federal and emirate levels. Federal-level
legislation dates to the 1970s and 1980s, and there are pending legislative reform initiatives
to facilitate the development of the healthcare industry. The UAE government is liberalizing
policies to attract foreign investments to improve the healthcare standard and boost the
healthcare industry.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a national health service, which is overseen by the
Ministry of Health and Prevention. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have their own health authorities
— Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and Dubai Health Authority (DHA) — that shape the
The UAE’s health expenditure reached a value ofROLE OF PRIVATE SECTOR IN HOSPITAL SEGMENT:
There are more private hospitals than government-funded hospitals in Abu Dhabi and
Dubai. These facilities tend to be state-of-the-art, and their role in everyday medical care in
the UAE is growing. Most private medical centres offer a range of inpatient care (where
administered without requiring admission to hospital) clinics. Health care in Dubai and Abu
Dhabi is high quality, at least matching the standards of the USA, UK and other high-earning
Western countries. In addition, new hospitals and medical centres are being built in areas
The UAE healthcare sector appears to be following a path similar to that seen at a regional
level. From 2013 to 2017, the number of hospitals in the emirates has grown from 107 to
137. As of 2017, this comprises a total of approximately 13,200 hospital beds, representing a
CAGR of 4.8% in that period. Similar to the expenditure pattern across the GCC, there is a
contributed 66% of the country’s total healthcare spending of USD 15 billion. Going forward
From 2018 to 2022, the private sector healthcare spend is set to grow at a CAGR of 9.5%
Rising emergence and support for PPP in the UAE healthcare sector
Considering the past growth of the healthcare sector in the UAE, one might argue that the
market has reached a certain stage of maturity. Changes in the sector over the coming
regulatory and market demand driven factors are likely to shape the sector in the years to