Health & Education
From The Report: Dubai 2013
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Leveraging its tremendous economic growth and high per capita income, Dubai has developed a robust health care system that provides a high level of medical services to its citizens. The Dubai Health Authority, responsible for the regulatory and strategic oversight of health services in the emirate outside the health care free zone, is further strengthening the sector through strategic partnerships to develop health care-related education facilities. However, while UAE health care expenditures are significant, at around $1450 per capita in 2010, they still lag behind global averages for OECD countries. Indeed, although the UAE accounted for 20% of the total GCC health care expenditures in 2009, this represented only around 3% of GDP. More positively, free zones are attracting investments and have seen tremendous growth of private clinics and specialised service centres. This strategy has also opened up a strong potential for medical tourism. This chapter includes interviews with Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, Chairperson, Dubai Healthcare City Authority; and Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman and Director-General, Knowledge and Human Development Authority.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Foundation for a healthy future: An already high level of quality will support expansion
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Leveraging its tremendous economic growth and high per capita income, Dubai has developed a robust health care system that provides a high level of medical services to its citizens and others. Health care-related spending per capita across the UAE places the country among the top 20 in the world, with an average of $1544 per capita in 2010, down from $1704 in 2009, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Dubai Health Authority (DHA), responsible for the regulatory and strategic…

Analysis

Just what the doctor ordered: Private participation could be the key to increasing efficiency and improving services
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With its high-income population and regional integration, Dubai offers a wealth of opportunities, and the emirate acknowledges that the current dependence on public financing for health care expenditures is unsustainable and inefficient. According to the World Health Organisation, health care-related expenditures in the UAE totalled over Dh40bn ($10.89bn) in 2010, representing around 3.7% of GDP. This is only a fraction of total expenditures as a percent of GDP in Organisation for Economic Cooperation…

Interview

OBG talks to Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, Chairperson, Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA)
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Interview: Princess Haya bint Al Hussein To what extent would the industry benefit from increased regulatory harmonisation across the UAE? PRINCESS HAYA BINT AL HUSSEI: Harmonisation would encourage investment, enhance the ease of doing business, facilitate movement of health care professionals and help the standardisation of quality across the emirates. It would also enhance care by eliminating a patient’s need to transfer from one facility to another depending on physicians’ practice privileges,…

Interview

Encouraging the next generation: OBG talks to Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman and Director-General, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA)
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Interview: Abdulla Al Karam Why have private schools become so popular, and what are the implications of such a trend? ABDULLA AL KARAM: Currently, 87% of all education in Dubai takes place in the private sector, with a growing number of schools opening regularly. Since 2007, 28 new schools have opened, providing capacity for 44,000 new students. The sector continued to expand throughout the economic downturn, increasing year-on-year to total more than 210,000 students in the 2011/12 academic year.…

Overview

Passing with flying colours: Transitioning towards a knowledge-based economy and becoming a regional centre
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Developing national human resources is enshrined in Dubai’s strategic plans, which place a core emphasis on creating an internationally competitive education sector. The education strategy seeks to harness the power of the private sector to drive progress within a broader framework that helps achieve its national priorities. This growth has forced a rapid expansion of the education sector, which has seen an increase in total enrolment of less than 140,000 students in 2000 to 240,000 in 2011,…

Analysis

Opening the gates: Harnessing private sector participation through education free zones
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The higher education environment in Dubai has seen a dramatic expansion over the last 10 years. There are three types of universities in Dubai: federal universities, private universities accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education, and private universities accredited abroad that are “quality checked” by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). The number of private education institutions has grown rapidly over the last decade, spurred by the establishment of two major education…