Dubai, United Arab Emirates, January 27, 2014: Medical tourism insurance packages may soon be available for patients travelling to Dubai for medical treatment, said a top health official.

HE Eng. Essa Al Maidoor, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, said that the authority is presently studying this initiative  and may introduce medical tourism insurance to provide a further boost to the Dubai Medical Tourism initiative.

Al Maidoor said: "In line with the directions of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, we are working with all relevant stakeholders to streamline the medical tourism initiative for the Emirate.

"The introduction of the medical tourism insurance will help provide 360 degrees comprehensive care to medical tourists and therefore we are presently studying the viability of such an insurance scheme."

Dr Layla Al Marzouqi, acting-director of the DHA health regulation department and director of the Dubai medical tourism initiative, said: "Medical tourism insurance ensures that in case there is a complication, the additional expense is covered by insurance.  At the moment, we are studying a scheme whereby the insurance will be tailor-made for medical tourists, it will be different from travel insurance although it will cover all the components of travel insurance. The idea is to have a single insurance that suffices.

"The insurance will be valid for three months after the initial treatment. If the patient needs to return within three months to correct unsuccessful surgery/procedure or post-operative complication , the policy will cover medical expenses, including flights towards the return trip  and accommodation- all these expenses will be covered  up to a certain amount which is dependent on the insurance policy selected."

The Authority also announced the introduction of the medical tourism visa, which is given for a duration of three months and  is renewable thereafter.

In terms of medical tourism packages, both in-bound packages for residents and out-bound packages for tourists are available for certain medical services and more services will be added shortly.

Al Marzouqi said: "For tourists, several packages are available that  include hotel stay and flight tickets. For residents, the packages offer discounted rates for certain medical services. The packages include specialized packages from executive to basic ones offering  comprehensive health services. Packages for men and women comprise of specialist consultation, lab tests and other diagnostic tests. For instance, women's health package includes consultation with a gynecologist, several investigations including but not limited to blood tests, breast cancer screening and a mammogram."

She added in a few months, hospitals and health centres in Dubai that are part of the medical tourism initiative will introduce more packages covering a larger number of health specialties.

Marzouqi also announced the introduction of the medical tourism club. The club consists of 30 members. She said the members will meet every month and will discuss various aspects such as  insurance, transparency and pricing, medical complaints procedure etc.

She added that there is huge potential in the medical sector in Dubai and that there are 10 hospitals in Dubai that are presently under-construction, which will further add to the number of hospital beds in Dubai. " Some of the hospitals are specialised hospitals which means the doctors will be specialised or even super-specialised. The growth in the medical sector is phenomenal. Over the years, healthcare groups that had clinics are moving towards building hospitals, while those that have hospitals and now moving towards building super-speciality hospitals. Some of the under-construction hospitals are specialised hospitals for cancer, paediatrics etc. All this will further strengthen the quality of healthcare provided in Dubai, which in turn will directly positively impact the medical tourism initiative."

About the Dubai Health Authority:
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) was created, in June 2007, by Law 13 issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, with an expanded vision to include strategic oversight for the complete health sector in Dubai and enhance private sector engagement. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance is the President of the Dubai Health Authority and His Excellency Engineer Essa Al Maidoor is the Director-General of the DHA.

The DHA's aim in Dubai is to provide an accessible, effective and integrated healthcare system, protect public health and improve the quality of life within the Emirate. This is a direct translation of the objectives of the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Keeping the strategic plan in mind, the DHA's mission is to ensure access to health services, maintain and improve the quality of these services, improve the health status of nationals, residents and visitors and oversee a dynamic, efficient and innovative health sector.

In addition to overseeing the health sector for the Emirate of Dubai, the DHA also focuses on providing services through DHA healthcare facilities including hospitals (Latifa, Dubai, Rashid and Hatta), specialty centres (e.g. the Dubai Diabetes Center) and DHA primary health centres spread throughout the Emirate of Dubai.

The main pillars of service delivery at DHA health facilities are quality, efficiency, patients and staff.  It is our aim to maintain and improve the quality and efficiency of DHA health services. An important aspect of the service delivery strategy is to focus on patients, their needs and satisfaction as well as attract, retain, nurture and support outstanding staff.

Prior to the establishment of the DHA, the Department of Health and Medical Services (DOHMS), which was established in 1973, was the functioning authority that almost exclusively focused on health service delivery.

© Press Release 2015