Recognising that nearly 70 per cent of expatriates fall in the basic insurance package under the mandatory health insurance scheme in Dubai, Aster DM Health Care group plans to open two hospitals for affordable care in Dubai catering to the needs of this class.

Dr Azaad Moopen, founder chairman and managing director of the group, said this on the sidelines of the 30th anniversary celebrations of the organisation.

“The mandatory health insurance in Dubai has made it possible for everyone in society to have a decent health cover and we realise that nearly 70 per cent of the population can afford only the basic package. So it is my goal to provide affordable health care to these people and I intend to open two more hospitals, one in Al Ghusais and one in Muhaisnah soon, which will provide affordable health care to those with basic insurance cover.”

To mark three decades in health care, Dr Moopen announced five key initiatives in the field of health care in the UAE and GCC on Monday evening. These included celebrating its employees, caring for their health, their wellness, felicitating them and focusing on the expansion of the Aster Volunteers’ programme, as a way of giving back to the community.

Dr Moopen reminisced the time he came to the UAE with his medical skills and little money and big dreams to start his career with establishing one clinic in Bur Dubai in 1987.

“It was the vision of the rulers of this country, the dedication of the people who worked with me and some friends who believed in my dream of providing quality health care. Today, we are present in nine countries, operate 316 establishments with 18,174 employees. So we thought it was best to mark our giving back gesture to the community that gave us so much by looking after our employees first.”

All employees of the group who had spent 15 years or more were felicitated and a token of appreciation given to each one, followed by health and wellness check-ups.

However, the acme of the celebrations was the Aster Volunteers’ programme that was launched last June to mark the 30th anniversary.

In the last six months, the programme has conducted over 11,000 surgeries and investigations free of cost in all its hospitals around the globe, recruited over 2,000 volunteers and over 66 differently abled volunteers, conducted several blood donation drives and trained 104,614 people in basic life support among a few of its achievements.

Dr Zeba Moopen, director of the group and the youngest daughter of Dr Moopen who is in charge of the Aster Volunteers’ programme, said: “In the last six months we have established a medical station at Al Zaatari, Azraq and Irbid camps in Jordon staffed by our doctors and support staff, distributed two containers of food packets in Somalia, and worked to rehabilitate Rohingya refugees.”

The group is absolutely geared to meet the medical tourism challenge. Dr Alisha Moopen, chief executive officer and director of the group, told Gulf News: “We have been handling the inbound medical tourism traffic at our hospitals in the UAE and also the outbound traffic from the UAE and GCC at our hospital in Kochi, India. In India, patients get good care at one-fourth cost while in the UAE, international medical tourists come for cosmetic, fertility and orthopaedic treatments where they can be assured of top class treatment and also an opportunity to enjoy the country as tourists. We have managed to strike the right balance.”

Several Dubai Health Authority and Ministry of Health and Prevention dignitaries attended the gala anniversary dinner.

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