RoyalCure | Health Tourism

Health Tourism

WHAT IS HEALTH TOURISM?

Health tourism is an alternative tourism which has been developing all over the world, and has made its way into the United Arab Emirates in the last 10 to 15 years. The number of people who travel solely for medical purposes has exceeded 10 million.

Health tourism can be classified under 3 main categories:
1) Medical Tourism (treatment, surgery etc. at hospitals)
2) Spa Tourism (Rehabilitation, relaxation etc. services at spa facilities)
3) Elderly & Disabled Tourism (Long-term stay at geriatric treatment centers or highlands with social activities)

Basic motivations for health tourism:
1) Rarity or lack of high-technology health services and qualified human resources in the country
2) Need to add a holiday to the treatment,
3) High cost of health services in the country
4) Need for better health services
5) Need to avoid public recognition of a surgery in the country due to any reason (plastic surgery, infertility treatment etc.)
6) Limited holiday options due to climate or geography (to travel to a country with a better geography or a diverse culture) or need to travel to a country with abundant thermal resources.
7) Need to change environment and have treatment by chronic patients, elderly, or disabled individuals
8) Need to be treated in a different or more suitable environment by people with drug or other addictions

Overall health tourism has many advantages. One of the major advantages of health tourism is to have patients treated in a country with better facilities, and a country that offers more options for patient care.

HEALTH TOURISM IN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES


In the United Arab Emirates, there are 48 health institutions accredited by JCI for services at international standards. In the U.A.E, private hospitals as well as University and public hospitals have started working on their infrastructure to boost health tourism.

All hospitals provide services based on national accreditation criteria and are audited twice a year. The Ministry of Health is responsible for the procedures and coordination regarding health tourism. The Ministry of Health works to boost health tourism in the U.A.E, issue guidelines, and organize summits through the Health Tourism Directorate. The Ministry builds city hospitals to increase the number of beds needed for patient care. The Health Tourism Directorate offers a 24/7 assistance service for patients in Arabic, Spanish, German, Russian, and many more languages. Hospitals are very accommodating and try their best to provide translation services for international patients and patients whose first language isn’t English.

Private, University, and Public hospitals in the U.A.E are equipped with high technology which many patients find helpful, and is one of the many reasons patients travel out of the country to have these surgeries performed. In the United Arab Emirates, many hospitals offer high-tech services in Oncology, Cardiovascular Surgery, Orthopedics, Brain Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Ophthalmology, and Dentistry. These hospitals also offer Cyber Knife, Robotic Surgery, MR Services, Bone marrow, and Organ Transplants.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES IS THE PREFERRED DESTINATION FOR HEALTH TOURISM

The United Arab Emirates is now recognized by world countries as a health partner and a rising star in medical tourism. The U.A.E combines its medical and thermal tourism facilities with spa and wellness opportunities to offer high-quality and low-cost health tourism packages. With a favorable geographical location, the United Arab Emirates is easily accessible from many countries. People who visit the U.A.E for treatment are offered all kinds of essential services throughout their stay by expert health professionals and agencies.

The United Arab Emirates has a qualified and well-educated human resources base in the health industry. There is no problem with communication thanks to multilingual physicians and health professionals. Health tourists can receive answers to all kinds of questions with the help of the physicians and health professionals that are always there to guide the way. Physicians and nurses provide sufficient pre-surgery and post-surgery information. This helps keep morale high and the patients informed while answering any questions related to the surgery. With medical tourism being at an all-time high right now, the U.A.E is a hot spot for tourists that are interested in getting top-of-the-line care from great physicians. The country’s location, climate conditions, and cultural diversity make the U.A.E a great destination for tourists that are coming in from the Middle East. Visa exemptions launched in recent years with Middle Eastern countries, simplified procedures at the borders, and political and cultural factors have ensured a significant increase in the number of travels from this region. Due to the high costs of health services in developed countries, patients tend to visit countries where these services are more reasonably priced.

It is estimated that the demand for plastic surgery in particular will continue to increase, raising a demand for overseas services.

~ ROYAL CURE TEAM