UAE: Healthcare facilities in Dubai increase by 11.5% in first quarter

Dubai licensed a total of 143 health facilities in the first quarter of 2023, bringing the total number of health facilities in Dubai to 4,609, an increase of 11.5 per cent compared to the first quarter of last year. The growth reflects Dubai’s emergence as a global healthcare destination and a magnet for investment in the sector.

According to statistics released by the Dubai Healthcare Authority (DHA), the emirate currently has 52 hospitals, 77 specialised clinics, 58 one-day surgery centres, 82 dental clinics, 122 clinics, 1,325 pharmacies, 414 optics centres, 160 nursing homes and 57 alternative medicine centres.

Offering a wide range of medical services, including advanced diagnostic procedures, specialised treatments, and surgical procedures, these facilities provide care across a range of medical specialities and sub-specialities.

In the first quarter of the year, DHA’s Health Regulation Sector received 6,500 applications for obtaining a health professional license to practice in the emirate. Dubai currently has 56,239 licensed healthcare professionals. DHA’s projections for 2023 and beyond estimate a growth of 10-15 percent for medical professionals.

Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO of the DHA’s Health Regulation Sector, said the growth in health facilities reflects the confidence of global investors in the growth prospects and high standards of the emirate’s healthcare sector. “The dynamism of the sector reflects the growing competitiveness of Dubai’s health sector, the quality of healthcare infrastructure and legislation as well as the visionary strategy of the emirate’s leadership and its ability to overcome the impact of global challenges,” said Dr Al Mulla.

Dr Al Mulla further added the DHA continues to promote and support investments that contribute to building a more resilient and sustainable healthcare sector. He praised the cooperation between DHA and the private medical sector to support the ambitious goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) and advance growth and standards in the field.

Dubai’s sustained focus on developing its medical infrastructure and attracting large-scale investments into the sector, combined with its superior quality benchmarks and world-class regulations, has enabled it to develop a healthcare system that ranks among the best in the globe.

According to the Medical Tourism Index, Dubai ranks number one in the Middle East and North Africa and 6th in the world for medical tourism. It also ranks 5th globally on the sub-index of Quality of Facilities & Services. The city saw remarkable growth in medical tourism in 2022 with 674,000 medical tourists spending Dh 992 million in the year, an increase of Dh 262 million from 2021.

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