Riding on last year’s success, CEO of Dubai Health Care City outlines the projects for 2015
Marwan Abedin / Image Credit: Abdel-Krim Kallouche/Gulf News
Dubai:
A high number of patient visits, the construction of nine new health-care facilities and an active medical tourist roster are some of the highlights of the milestones Dubai Health Care City(DHCC) achieved in 2014, clearly setting the pace for exponential growth in Phase 2 of its growth in 2015.
Discussing the operating performance review of DHCC for last year, the CEO of DHCC, Marwan Abedin, told Gulf News: “Our 2014 figures represent the growth we expected. We recorded our highest patient visits till date; laparoscopic surgeries such as gynaecological treatments; minimally invasive cosmetic procedures; laser eye procedures; and CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) treatments were common. Our medical tourism profile has been elevated with more robust hard and soft infrastructure and accompanying policies and regulations.”
Disclosing some of the landmark highlights of 2014 he said: “From 2014 first quarter, our roadmap focused on our work in health care, medical education, investment and regulatory. Our landmark announcement was the establishment of the Mohammad Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, which currently has an operational dental college, and admissions for its College of Medicine are expected by September 2015. The Mohammad Bin Rashid University Hospital is being developed in parallel. “
The pace has been set for DHCC which is already looking to expansion into Phase 2 of its growth. Abedin added:
“In 2015, we will announce projects in Phase 1 linked to increasing medical specialisation and capacity. In Phase 2, we will welcome our first operational business partner. Towards community awareness, we are planning initiatives that will address some of the most pressing health challenges including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.”
2014 Milestones for DHCC
• Total patient visits reached 1.2 million by year end, up from a million recorded in 2013
• 15% of DHCC patients are medical tourists
• DHCC-commissioned survey shows 48 per cent medical tourists are from the GCC
• 748 new health-care professionals licensed, bringing total number of health-care professionals to 4,534
• Nine new healthcare facilities operational in DHCC
• 17 new commercial offices established in DHCC
• Occupancy of DHCC main buildings stands at 94%
• Establishment of the Mohammad Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBR-UMHS) and Mohammad Bin Rashid University Hospital
• 53 active enrolments at the College of Dental Medicine
• Mohammad Bin Rashid Academic Medical Center (MBR- AMC) was host to 300+ events with 20,000+ participants
• 2,120 health-care professionals trained at Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor Medical Simulation Centre (KHMSC)
• DHCC introduced online examinations for physicians and dentists from more than 30 countries
• Introduced independent Appeals Board for health-care professionals and health-care operators
• Total of 51 complaints, down from 60 received in 2013
• Public screenings for 1,000 + residents
source: http://www.gulfnews.com / Gulf News / Home> UAE> Health / by Suchitra Bajpai Chaudhary, Sr. Reporter / January 25th, 2015
