Dubai :
More than 118,000 people visited the emirate for medical procedures in the first three months of the year, according to the latest health authority figures.
Patients were treated across 16 private hospitals licensed by Dubai Health Authority as members of the Dubai Medical Tourism Club.
Increased visits also bring a greater turnover in revenue, said Dr Layla Al Marzouqi, director of health regulation and medical tourism at the DHA.
“In 2012, the total revenue from medical tourism was Dh652.7 million and now in the first quarter of this year the revenue is Dh778.4 million,” she said.
“We expect this number to multiply by the end of the year. Our target for 2016 was more than Dh1.1 billion but we will surpass this soon and we aim to surpass our 2020 target, which is Dh2.6 billion.”
A total of 118,727 domestic and inbound medical tourists were treated, according to data collected.
The Dubai Medical Tourism Club has 24 centres signed on as members.
Patient numbers are exceeding previous expectations, with a Colliers International forecast predicting in the region of 150,000 this year.
Last year, Dubai treated 135,000 medical tourists, up from 120,000 in 2013.
source: http://www.thenational.ae / The National / Home> UAE> Arts & Lifestyle / by Nick Webster – nwebster@thenational.ae / August 18th, 2015
