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Private Helath Care
The UAE health system is treading a safe path, succesfully combining both private and government health systems.
Public and private health often go hand in hand, the one, in many ways, complementing the other, as the country tries to find the most cost-effective way of providing modern up-to-date health services which can be used by both nationals and the many expatriates who live and work here.
Emergency treatment and any subsequent critical treatment is free at the well-equipped government hospitals in Dubai but during the rehabilitation period some fees may have to be paid.
But it's comforting to know that if you're unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident in Dubai you will be taken to hospital by an ambulance free of charge. Thankfully no-one stands there checking whether your credit card is valid or not!
But increasingly private health care is being used more and more by both nationals and especially expatriate workers who are lured to the Middle East with good financial packages many of which offer comprehensive private health insurance.
In Dubai this has led to several new private hospitals opening which offer nationals and expats the very latest in health care. One such establishment is the brand new Welcare Hospital set up by the Varkey Group which has a number of business interests in Dubai.
The 120 bed hospital was purpose-built at a cost of around Dhs 150 million in the central Al Garhoud area of the city and was officially given the Royal seal of approval when it was opened in May of this year by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry.
Among those present at the glittering opening were Hamad Abdul Rahman Al Madfa, the Minister of Health, various high ranking health ministry officials and most of the consular corps in Dubai.
" Our philosophy is that we want to be part and parcel of the community. We don't want to be seen standing alone and aloof. We want to be available to everyone in the community.
" The Welcare Hospital is a new 120 bed international purpose-built multi-speciality critical care private medical facility offering quality health care in a caring and friendly environment."
An affable Irishman, Ryan is clearly proud of the state-of-the-art building: " We are comitted to providing the best of medical service to our patients.
" We have established a Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) to ensure that patients with complicated problems receive quality care and that the outcome of such cases is successful."
He said that the MAC establishes medical policies and standards and reviews daily the quality of patient care provided. In the event that outside specialists are needed the hospital is linked through telemedicine to internationally prestigious organisations abroad.
In line with current medical trends the hospital is also very keen on promoting preventive health care and to taking that message outside into the community by offering relevant seminars on specific health issues.
This supports the current government-led health drive aimed at persuading people to give up smoking and take up exercise and so help cut the health burden in future years by reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer.
It follows the discovery of a high incidence of heart disease among young national men because of their sedentary lifestyles which prompted the Royal family in Dubai to encourage everyone to take up sports and exercise on a regular basis to avoid obesity and heart disease.
Welcare hospital has an ongoing staff training programme in the latest medical techniques and treatments and world renowned specialists will also visit the hospital on a regular basis.
According to Ryan the needs of the local community dictate that obstetrics/gynaecology and cardiology will be important in future health care planning for the hospital.
As a result the hospital is aiming to develop those two departments as centres of excellence for the region following American standards in health care.
The OB/GYN department will offer prenatal counselling clinics for patients with medical complications, recurrent miscarriage clinics, and a genetic counselling clinic for inherited disorders and IVF fertility treatment.
For Cardiology the future plans include developing a tertiary care centre, offering nuclear cardiology, investigations and invasive studies, as well as a cardiac catheritisation laboratory and cardiac surgery facilities.
Senior Specialist Physician and Medical Director Dr James Ferguson said that the Welcare Hospital could expand into areas previously handled by government hospitals.
" Areas like renal dialysis, cancer treatments and trauma could easily be handled by this hospital if that were agreed. We have a very well-equipped Accident and Emergency unit here with six triage beds, three male and three female and we have all the necessary qualified surgeons and support staff.'
Dr Ferguson was, until recently, the Medical Director of the 500 bed Ayr Hospital in Scotland, before he joined the Welcare Hospital. He has been a tutor to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow as well as to the Scottish Council for Post Graduate Medical Education.
He has more than 25 years experience as a consultant in internal medicine with special interests in endocrinology and diabetes.
Commmunity Health Centre
Once again the emphasis has been on bringing the clinic into the community by offering services which are affordable but also cater to what both nationals and choosy western expatriates want.
According to the Centre's Executive Director Dr John Dishman the clinic now takes a western attitude to health care. " That is to say that prevention is the best medicine."
When the old clinic was gutted and then rebuilt everything was upgraded and renewed.
Now the centre offers the latest in dental techniques, a Chinese acupuncturist who also ofers massage, a gynaecologist who has safely delivered hundreds of babies and a paeditrician. Two Filipina nurses complete the team.
Almost all of the Centre's patients have some form of private health insurance, either comprehensive or part cover, but regardless of what they are covered for all want a high level of treatment says Dr Dishman.
" And one of the other atttractive factors about the centre is that all the front line staff are women and this is proving to be very popular with many women who often feel more relaxed being seen by a woman. We have found that most men don't care who they are seen by but that women do."
As part of this proactive view of medicine which, to be fair, is not just practised by the Community Medical Centre but by many other competent clinics in Dubai as well, the CMC has also started home visits - much like the practice in the UK.
" Who wants to get out of bed when you're ill, then have to find a parking space, not to mention the heat, " said Dr Dishman. " All a patient has to do is reach for the phone and we are on call 24 hours a day."
The preventive medicine approach means the centre also offers a computerised corporate package where employees are examined once a year by a doctor and dentist as part of a general check-up.
With proper use of preventive medicine techniques insurance payments can be reduced and worker productivity increased as a well and happy employee takes less time off work.
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With health care systems throughout the West going through an upheaval - just look at the UK's constantly cash-strapped National Health Service or the top whack prices charged by the American private health system, the United Arab Emirates seems to be treading a safe middle path.
As Chief Executive Denis Ryan points out the hospital has state-of-the-art medical equipment with almost all of the 35 doctors having qualified in the UK.