The healthcare authorities are drawing up a protocol, jointly with the private sector, to prevent private hospitals from dumping their patients in public hospitals once their own financial commitments have been met.
Commenting on the "grossly unethical" move by private hospitals, Faisal bin Juma Belhoul, Managing Director, Belhoul Enterprises, said the the protocol is being drawn up to ensure a patient is admitted only if the hospital can treat the case properly.
It will also make offenders liable to certain penalties, effectively helping stamp out potential malpractices.
Belhoul pointed out the group's latest project ties in well with the Dubai Government's own ambitious Healthcare City venture, affording a measure of comfort to private hospitals and clinics, who would reap the spillover benefits flowing from the official marketing campaigns.
One common accusation levelled at private hospitals is that they initially start treating a patient and then, when they find this might be a high-risk case, advise him to either go to a state-run hospital here, or seek further treatment in his home country or elsewhere. This tarnishes the image of healthcare in this region.
"Yes, it is terribly unethical for any hospital to initially take on a patient, actuated largely by the profit motive, and then seek to dump him elsewhere midway. This is why a healthcare protocol is being drawn up by the authorities in Dubai, in consultation with the private sector healthcare industry, to preclude such possibilities and enunciate the imposition of stiff penalties as a deterrent," he said.
Another commonly voiced complaint is, while the healthcare industry here has among the best equipment in the world, the skills of the doctors and technicians handling the machines leaves much to be desired.
It is even said some doctors who excelled in their homelands possibly due to the heavy workload, and the large number of cases they daily handled there go rusty after a few short years here.
"The number of private sector industry players is growing, and these are by definition aggressive. Sheer market forces will thus have the natural weeding-out effect on those not up to the mark, simply because patients will have more options, and will obviously go to hospitals which start building up a good reputation for themselves," he said.
He added that the increasing number of private players charging for their healthcare services means residents will also have to be offered more options as regards private healthcare insurance schemes, many of which are today exorbitant. But there appears to be little headway on this front.
"The authorities, I am informed, are looking closely into this issue, and are viewing the applicability of these insurance schemes to existing cases. I anticipate new schemes being formulated now to be unveiled shortly, with the entire system running smoothly within two years," he said.
In a wide-ranging interview with Gulf News, the young tycoon of the diverse group also spoke candidly on a number of related issues, including privatising healthcare, health insurance, maintaining skill levels in the sector, the centres of excellence Dubai is seeking to create, the potential impact of a war on Iraq, and the group's own plans for further developing healthcare services.
Excerpts from the interview:
Will the increasing privatisation of healthcare and allied insurance services prove an added burden for employers?I don't think this will be a burden on companies, as the experience of other countries in this regard indicates. Further, privatisation will also cut down the government's expenditure, with the surplus funds thus generated going to benefit society in other sectors. Besides, more private players leads to more efficient services offered at more competitive rates, all of which can only spell good news for residents.
Dubai has recently announced its ambitious Healthcare City project. How will this impact on the private players located outside this cluster?Actually, this reassures people and gives us more comfort space, since we will reap the spillover benefits from the government's marketing campaigns, and also speed up patient referrals, which would, besides, ensure faster and more efficient service.
Dubai itself seems to be firing on various fronts all the time. Can you see some pattern as to where the emirate is heading?(Smiles) I guess you need to ask the higher or highest authorities.
But (turning serious again) the vision is starting to clarify. Perhaps the vision is to start a centre of excellence, then encourage other local and international companies to form a strong cluster that continues to expand. And such centres of excellence are being incubated in a lot of different disciplines, re-emphasising Dubai's status as the hub in multiple disciplines in the region.
Concurrently, the steady diversification from an oil-based to a non-oil economy continues, with the government nurturing and helping along this change by creating an environment that proves highly attractive for investors.
What would you say will be Dubai's next centre of excellence?Education, probably.
Coming back to the Belhoul Group's plans in healthcare, you have also announced a proposal to set up a facility on the ambitious Palm Island?It is no longer merely a proposal, but has already been confirmed. This is our commitment to the Palm Island, with the $100 million resort facility to combine advanced care with wellness. At present, we are the only ones to have announced such a healthcare project on the Palm. The facility itself should go operational by 2005.
How do you propose to raise finances for all these ambitious projects?We have serious plans to announce an IPO for our healthcare projects, worth between Dh500 million and Dh1 billion, and list on the stock market. Our discussions with other potential stakeholders is ongoing.
September 11 happened, and now Iraq sees the war clouds gathering. How do you see such events impacting Dubai, and the UAE?If previous experience is anything to judge by, the UAE's economic growth will not be affected at all. At most, there might only be a momentary hiccup.
You are an engineering graduate from Boston University, yet you are spearheading your group's ambitions in the healthcare sector. Medical terms also trip off your tongue easily. From where have you learnt this part of your academics?(Smiles) My father has been my primary teacher here. (Dr Juma Khalfan Belhoul had until recently been director general, Dubai Department of Health and Medical Services.) And as for engineering (his smile grows broader), I'm also applying these skills in trying to re-engineer our group profile with stronger branding and higher visibility.
What is a day in the life of Faisal bin Juma Belhoul like?There are three main elements to my workday: work, family, and sport, with social activities relegated to the weekends.
Early mornings are with family, with breakfast seeing us discussing the day ahead. I start the work schedule no later than 9am, and stay in the office until 8pm or thereabouts with lunch generally with business associates. Then it's off to the gym, or other fitness activity.
Evening majlis? No there's no time for a majlis, that is only during Ramadan.
Apart from healthcare, we are a diversified group with interests in manufacturing, information technology, construction, real estate, retail trade, travel and tourism, hotels, garments, drugs and allied equipment, veterinary products, and lifestyle management, and these give me little time for other activities. But I enjoy my work.
Gulf News 2003
