|
 Dubai
’s
latest strategic initiative aims to
improve the standard of healthcare in the
region and place the emirate at the
forefront of medical education and
research. Ben
Smalley reports on the establishment
of
Dubai
Healthcare
City
.
The fact that many UAE
nationals still look to the West for
medical treatment highlights a deficiency
in the local healthcare system. Whether it
is a lack of trust in local hospitals or
the unavailability of specific treatments,
there is evidently a gap that needs to be
filled.
This is one of the driving forces
behind the establishment of
Dubai
Healthcare
City
,
which was announced in November by His
Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai
and UAE Minister of Defence, as a means of
transforming
Dubai
into a hub for specialised healthcare and
a center for medical education and
research.
The US$1.8 billion project forms
part of Sheikh Mohammed’s vision to
firmly establish Dubai as the leading city
in the region by the year 2010, not only
by providing better healthcare for
nationals and residents, but also by
further diversifying the local economy
through ‘health tourism’ - attracting
patients from around the region to
world-class medical facilities in Dubai.
“Health is the most important
factor for individuals as well as
society,” Sheikh Mohammed said at the
launch of the initiative. “Without good
health, the individual suffers, his family
suffers and, as a consequence, the
national economy suffers. The development
of any successful economy depends largely
on the health and well being of people.
“I am happy to announce the
establishment of
Dubai
Healthcare
City
,
and my vision for this city is for it to
become a world-renowned healthcare
facility by 2010 and a specialised center
of comprehensive medical services of the
highest international standards.
“
Dubai
Healthcare
City
is an initiative for everyone of us,
especially for our children. It is an
initiative for the whole region, and I am
convinced that our people who will work on
implementing it will be successful, just
as our forefathers were more than 1,000
years ago in presenting for humanity the
greatest medical breakthroughs in surgery,
medicine and in setting up hospitals.”
Sheikh Mohammed continued: “The
people who are to implement this
initiative are going to collaborate with
the Department of Health and Medical
Services and the Ministry of Health to
guarantee its successful implementation
and smooth operation. This new initiative
will need the combined efforts of everyone
and it will prove to be an important step
in the field of medical services for our
country, the region and the Arab world.”
At the heart of the project will
be a 300-bed university hospital, which
will be established in partnership with
leading, global medical institutions, as
well as a medical college and nursing
school to train and develop future doctors
and nurses.
There will also be a centre for
life sciences research, which will focus
on region-specific medical concerns,
become a base for developing techniques
and a regional center for gathering
medical statistics.
Education lies at the heart of
Dubai Healthcare City, and it will provide
doctors with the opportunity to conduct
research, publish and present results of
their studies, and strengthen co-operation
with other centres and global research
bodies, as well as training the doctors
and nurses of tomorrow.
Alongside the government-owned
aspects of the city, there will be a
number of specialised laboratories and
private hospitals and clinics, while the
entire campus will primarily focus on the
most pressing health problems facing
patients in the region, including
cardiology, diabetes, urology, oncology,
paediatrics and orthopaedics.
However, the biggest challenge
will be persuading patients to visit Dubai
Healthcare City, rather then continuing to
attend more established medical
institutions in the West, which the
government aims to do by building up trust
in the project and by bringing in
established, world-renowned medical
institutions as partners.
Another of the key components of
Dubai Healthcare City, which will be built
on empty land between the Wafi shopping
centre and Creek Park, will be a
‘wellness’ aspect - featuring a
nutrition centre, spa resort, a luxury
hotel, and a shopping mall selling
health-related products.
Construction will begin in the
first quarter of 2003 and it is
anticipated that day clinics will be up
and running in a year, but the medical
school and university hospital are
expected to take at least three years.
The entire project is being
developed and implemented by the Dubai
Development and Investment Authority (DDIA),
which has identified a potential target
market of 1.8 billion people in 31
countries for the services which will be
on offer.
DDIA chairman Mohammed Al Gergawi
said: “Healthcare services in the region
extending from Europe to Eastern Asia,
including the Middle East, Eastern Asia,
North East Africa and India, currently
suffer from basic shortcomings.
“It is expected that for the
first time at regional level,
comprehensive healthcare facilities will
be available under one roof at Dubai
Healthcare City. The studies conducted by
DDIA affirm that the city will strengthen
the position of the UAE, not only as an
important destination for health services,
but also as an attractive centre for
medical professionals such as doctors,
specialists and researchers.”
He said the positive influences of
establishing the city will not only
achieve a valuable step in medical
services, but will also give more
self-reliance to the UAE economy and boost
diverse activities in the local business
sector.
“The medical college will also
contribute by filling the gap in the
region for specialised medical education
and research,” Mr Gergawi said. “At
the same time, it will play a vital role
in attracting medical specialists to work
in the region and for the region.”
The Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), a
subsidiary of Dubai Development and
Investment Authority (DDIA), has been
launched with the aim of filling the gap
between
Europe
and
South
East Asia
and establishing a regional gateway for
customers and patients to receive
world-class healthcare and enjoy first
class medical and wellness services.
Dubai
will offer significant business opportunities to local and
international investors, regional
businesses and the global healthcare
industry by establishing DHCC.
It will create an integrated
healthcare community providing a
comprehensive medical treatment and
prevention portfolio with an optimized
process and patient/customer flow.
The creation of DHCC addresses a
significant market need as the region
(comprised of the GCC, Indian
Subcontinent, Northern Gulf, Central Asia,
the Levant, North and East Africa) that
exhibits a significant lack of an
international healthcare center providing
specialized medical care, world-class
medical and wellness services and
post-graduate education.
The purpose of DHCC
initiative is to provide the highest
quality healthcare services to medical
care and wellness seekers from the region
by creating a world-class cluster of
healthcare professionals and service
providers at the heart of
Dubai
.
DHCC aspires to provide
state-of-the-art medical care services in
selected disciplines that are relevant to
the problems facing the patients in the
region.
UMC
(University Medical Complex)
The University Hospital is the
first of the three core components.
It will focus on providing
specialist care in medical disciplines
that are most required in the region. In
order to ensure the best possible patient
care there will be an emphasis on
attracting, educating and retaining the
best medical and nursing staff.
The second core component in
Dubai Healthcare City is the Medical
School.
The Medical School will focus
primarily on postgraduate medical
education and on the job specialty
training.
This postgraduate focus and the
limited availability of these kinds of
training opportunities in the region,
would position Dubai in a unique class
among medical education centers in the
region.
Having a Medical School coupled to
the University Hospital is expected to
attract a number of western trained Arabic
doctors back to the region. It will enable
them to take part in educating the next
generation of doctors. In addition to
training doctors, a separate Nursing
School will be established to supply the
region with qualified nursing staff.
The third part of the
University Medical Complex is the Life
Science Research Center. The medical
specialties will be primarily in the same
areas as the University Hospital and the
Medical School.
Medical
Cluster
The Medical Cluster will contain businesses
such as day clinics, private hospitals and
clinics, diagnostic centers, a
rehabilitation center, pharmaceutical
businesses and medical device companies.
It will bring together world-class
prevention methodology, diagnostics and
treatment provided by the best medical
institutions and a healthcare service
level which will delight business
customers, patients, the staff, and the
healthcare community.
One of the main elements in the Medical
Cluster is the Day Clinics.
The doctors will be given full
access to all Healthcare City facilities
and will have the chance to operate in the
hospital. The existence of the Day Clinics
will ensure an immediate patient flow for
the University Hospital.
Doctors will also receive
continuous on-the-job training and
research opportunities through the Medical
School and the Research Center enabling
them to become faculty of the Medical
School.
Wellness
Cluster
The Wellness Cluster comprises a wellness
center, nutrition centers, check up
facilities, sports medicine and other
facilities such as a resort and spa and
the hotel and bungalows to house patients
families, staff, visiting doctors and
students. Supporting and integrated into
the two clusters will be various
healthcare service companies, telemedicine
and tele-health businesses.
The Wellness Cluster is a collection of
independent businesses that are designed
with the long term health and wellness of
the patient or customer in mind. The
holistic approach will focus on a
customer’s well being and enhancing
quality of life.
This unique approach to wellness
services builds on the already strong
tourist industry in Dubai as well as the
large business travel market. Hotels in
the region will be able to promote these
services as another reason to come to
Dubai for a holiday.
In addition to the Medical and Wellness
cluster there is also an opportunity in
building Dubai Healthcare City to
integrate the latest technological
advantages in the healthcare sector. With
DIC and DMC, Dubai has an Information
& Communication Technology
infrastructure in place and is already
implementing IT and high tech focused
projects.
|
