“The worldwide financial crisis and economic downturn provides many challenges for companies and investors globally as well as in Abu Dhabi. However, within Abu Dhabi, investment in the health-care sector continues to grow,” Zaid Al Siksek, the CEO of Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD), told OBG.
With investment increasing and plans going ahead as initially set out, the decision to overhaul the health-care sector and establish a new health authority in 2007 seems justified. HAAD announced a five-year strategic plan in May 2008 aimed at providing access to affordable health care, safeguarding patient safety in all medical services and building patient trust in the system.
“A critical part to achieving this vision is to increase private sector investment,” Al Siksek told OBG. “Private sector investment and ownership of health-care-related infrastructures are a key priority, together with promoting management services by proven, creditable private sector investors to base infrastructure, staffing and purchasing decisions on a cost/benefit ratio,” he said.
So far there has been significant interest from international institutions to form partnerships with the government and set up the necessary infrastructure. “The facilities here now are world class and there is a strong affirmation from the government that health care is very important,” Dr Maha Taysir Barakat, the consultant endocrinologist and medical and research director at Imperial College London Diabetes Centre in Abu Dhabi, told OBG.
Institutions that are already here and functioning include medical names such as Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, which specialises in diabetes treatment, research, training and education. Another successful facility providing important services is the Abu Dhabi Knee & Sports Medicine Centre, established in 2007.
In June 2007, Cleveland Clinic, a top US health provider, officially assumed management of Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), a hospital with decades of experience in Abu Dhabi. Furthermore, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, a 360-bed hospital, is due to open in early 2011.
Other new facilities coming to the emirate include the Tawam Molecular Imaging Centre, which is set is to be launched in 2009 at the Tawam Hospital Campus in Al Ain City and will be operated in partnership with Johns Hopkins Medicine International. Meanwhile, the Abu Dhabi Spine Centre, a special spinal medical facility, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2010, in partnership with Wooridul Spine Hospital of Korea. Arzanah Medical & Diagnostic Centre, which plans to provide a range of medical specialties as well as advanced diagnostic imaging, will also open in 2010.
The important question now for Abu Dhabi’s heath sector is when these institutions will begin to make a difference and ameliorate the health standards of ordinary citizens.
According to Dr Scott Strong, the CEO of SKMC, this is already happening and it is being reflected in the hospital’s patient satisfaction surveys. “We’ve earned accreditation from Joint Commission International and introduced new product lines such as minimal invasive surgery on blood vessels and organ transplants,” he told OBG. Since the Cleveland Clinic has assumed the management of the hospital, SKMC has also developed a robust paediatrics practise and diabetic centre for treatment and education, as well as introducing a string of new services.
Advancements such as these are aimed at changing the perception about receiving treatment within the UAE. “We are now seeing patients in Abu Dhabi getting operations, say knee surgery, and doing better than they would if they had gone away [to be operated on],” Dr Barakat told OBG.
Nationals leaving the region to seek medical treatment have been common practise. But policymakers are hoping to reverse this trend by instilling confidence in the domestic health sector.
Saif Al Qubaisi, the managing director of the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, told OBG, “We are making a large effort to attract locals to remain in the country by improving our technology, creating world-class customer service and partnering with international institutions, like the Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins.”
In some cases, certain patients are now coming to the emirate to receive health care. “[Health tourism] is already happening here in Abu Dhabi. There are diabetes patients from the region and outside the Gulf Cooperation Council coming [to Abu Dhabi] to get their treatment,” Dr Barakat said.
Growing government support and increased private sector participation indicate a bright future for Abu Dhabi’s health sector. The emirate will be hoping it can attract more international institutions while providing quality health care at the local level.
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