Status and grandeur of the UAE: which destinations are chosen by medical tourists?

The UAE has a fundamental healthcare system, with huge investments from public and private sources. The proof of the success of medicine is the average life expectancy: according to the World Health Organization, people in the UAE live an average of 80 years, which is much higher than in most countries. The Emirati government aims to increase this age and make the country’s medicine the best in the world.

Why patients prefer to be treated in the Emirates

Every year about half a million patients come to the United Arab Emirates for treatment, who choose this country for a number of the most important advantages:

• Comfort and equipment of clinics: The medical and rehabilitation centers are equipped with premium equipment that diagnose the disease with high precision and apply the best technologies for treatment. Comfort and interior design, taking into account the Emirates’ experience in hospitality, are comparable to the level of service in a five-star hotel
• Accreditation of centers: The Arab Emirates leads in the number of medical centers that have Joint Commission International quality certificate, which confirms the highest level of material equipment, staff qualification and quality of service. According to the International Journal of Medical Tourism, 107 clinics in the country have been accredited by JCI (for comparison, in popular Turkey this figure is 33 clinics). The standards help to organize well-coordinated work in the internal structure of the hospital and ensure patient safety at all stages of treatment
• Highly qualified human resources: The UAE attracts leading foreign specialists with vast experience and status to reach as many patients as possible who need urgent care and there is no time to train professionals. Doctors who stay to work in the Arab Emirates’ system of advanced medicine are granted a resident visa for 10 years

Pharmaceutical industry in the UAE

Pharmaceuticals are a promising area of medicine, with innovations rapidly spreading around the world. The UAE plans to attract more than $2 billion to the pharmaceutical industry, where the focus will be on the production of “super generics”, nutraceuticals, 3D prosthetics and plasma preparations. According to Business Monitor International, the market for medical products in Dubai is growing by 10% annually, which is one of the highest growth rates among European and Asian countries.

Innovative trends in UAE medicine

Bariatric surgery

Bariatrics is a unique branch of abdominal surgery, which is the surgical treatment of severe forms of obesity. Leading UAE clinics open an elite list of international medical institutions performing modified gastric resection. Thanks to the vast experience and specialization of doctors, tremendous results can be achieved in bariatrics: on average, the weight of patients is reduced by 70%.

Gastric surgical interventions are performed only when the problem of obesity lies in poor eating behavior, and in turn they are divided into two areas:

• Gastric resection: Removal of up to 80% of the organ in order to reduce the amount of food consumed
• Intestinal bypass: Taking a third of the intestine out of the digestive process so that food does not have time to digest

Bariatric surgeries in the UAE are performed laparoscopically, using ultramodern minimally invasive equipment, avoiding extensive wounds and incisions. After manipulations, the patient feels perfect in 3 days and is discharged home with a clear list of recommendations.

Top clinics in the Arab Emirates offer an exceptional option for temporary surgery – implantation of a balloon inside the stomach. In this way, patients can experience all the nuances of gastric reduction without going under the surgeon’s knife. It takes several months to make a final decision, as treatment is not limited to resection: it is important to have a motivational attitude, psychological and physical readiness, and for two years periodically observed by the attending physician.

Another cutting edge innovation of bariatrics in the UAE is the reduction of stomach volume using the latest generation DaVinci robot. The robotic surgery process preserves all the natural valves of the stomach and reduces the hormonal load. Internationally renowned surgeons, who are accepted in Arabian clinics, are recommended by the American Server of Da Vinci Intuitive Surgical as specialists who are regularly certified and have considerable experience.

Check-up

Check up is an updated format of diagnostics that allows to check the state of health comprehensively and in a short period of time. The purpose of such an examination is to exclude or detect pathologies that are asymptomatic at the initial stages. The medical policy of the Arab Emirates is aimed at disease prevention, so check-up programs are implemented here as successfully as possible.

The World Health Organization recommends check-up diagnostics:

• Every healthy person needs to assess the body’s condition
• People with vague symptoms that may indicate multiple diseases (subfebrile fever, weakness, rapid fatigue, dizziness, headache)
• People whose family history is aggravated (diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, oncology)

Dubai is a metropolis where the leading medical institutions of the UAE are concentrated. There are about 500 clinics providing comprehensive diagnostics according to international standards. The results are deciphered in the newest laboratories equipped with the latest generation analyzers.

Innovative check-up diagnostics in clinics of the Arab Emirates allows you to assess the patient’s health in just 3 hours. This express option is suitable for those who value their time or need to get the results as quickly as possible (to clarify the diagnosis). The reliability of a three-hour check up is not lower than that of a full-fledged two-day diagnosis.

An important feature of UAE hospitals is that a check-up starts with a general practitioner who will accurately collect an anamnesis and identify risks to prescribe a certain range of tests. Thus, patients will receive an individualized diagnostic plan without overpaying for unnecessary procedures.

The main role in examinations is played by nursing staff, whose shoulders are responsible for carrying out manipulations. According to Emirates News Agency, the number of nurses and midwives in the Emirates has grown by 140% in recent years, which allows them to cover as many patients as possible. Nursing staff are regularly accredited, trained in new areas and gain experience in the largest clinics in the country and abroad.

Pediatrics

The United Arab Emirates has a State child health program aimed at prevention and early detection of diseases. Under the program, genetic diseases are diagnosed in newborns (neonatal screening), children are vaccinated against dangerous infections from birth, and children’s wards in hospitals and full-fledged pediatric hospitals are opened.

Children’s clinics use the most advanced vaccine for young patients, which has passed all the necessary clinical trials and is absolutely safe. Top centers use injection-free method of vaccine administration with the help of ultrasound. Vaccinations without injections are perfectly tolerated by children physically and psychologically.

If a child falls ill, in the UAE they go straight to a pediatrician, bypassing the family doctor. The narrow focus of pediatricians allows them to react more quickly to a critical situation, preventing complications from developing. An appointment with a pediatrician costs $100, which is much lower than the cost of an appointment in European countries such as Switzerland and Germany.

Childbirth

The Arab Emirates are associated with luxury, advanced technology and comfortable conditions. It is here that every woman who is careful about her condition would like to give birth. The wards of clinics resemble luxury-class hotel apartments, which have everything necessary not only for the woman in labor, but also for the accompanying loved ones.

Pregnant women do not bring anything with them to the delivery room: everything they need is given to them at the clinic. For example, the doctors themselves choose the size of diapers and make sure that the baby is provided with hygiene products during the entire stay.

Childbirth in the UAE is compared in status and comfort to childbirth in Miami. The best American and Arab hospitals compete in the quality of maternity care and claim leadership in maternity and early childhood.

Significant moments when giving birth in the UAE:

• Confidence in the high level of medical capabilities and professional training of specialists
• Alternative types of childbirth: vertical, partner, water births
• Highest level of service and individual approach to each mom (all rooms are individual or family)
• Possibility to invite a doula to the birth

Artificial intelligence in Arab medicine

The rapid introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnostics is taking medicine to a whole new level. The UAE is using a special algorithm to process examination results based on tracking changes in indicators (laboratory diagnostics, ultrasound, tomography and others). Even with a small deviation from the initial value, AI makes an accurate diagnosis and identifies health problems even before the appearance of “telling” symptoms.

AI algorithms are used in popular check up diagnostics and speed up the process of deciphering results and comparing them with previous results. In this way, patients quickly receive the results and a plan for further action.

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