The health tourism segment in Dubai achieved monumental advancement in 2023 by hosting more than 691, 000 medical tourist, as stated in the recent research published by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). This rise is expected due to burgeoning international trust in Dubai’s healthcare, thereby solidifying the emirate’s hold on the global health tourism sector. The increase in the sector is in line with the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 for the growth of the emirate’s economy and establishment of Dubai as a main business and tourism destination.
According to the report, medical tourists from overseas spent over AED 1. 03 billion in the year 2023 for their healthcare services with an enhancement from 2022’s figure of 674000 tourists and AED 992 million. Moreover, indirect revenues for health tourism amounted to AED 2. 3 billion improving the city’s economy and other important and crucial sectors.
His Excellency Awadh Seghayer Al Ketbi Director General of the DHA pointed out that the increase of the number of clients from other countries is evidence of the confidence people have in the Dubai healthcare industry. The health care of the emirate complies with International best practices in health care; utilizing technology, professional practitioners and health care cost. Dubai’s government still continues with the vision to promote health tourism as part of continued push towards the competitiveness of the emirate.
This growth has been well complemented by private healthcare providers whose quality health facilities and patient friendly programs have greatly contributed for the growth. Pursuant to these priorities, the DHA has kept on collaborating with healthcare partners in the private sphere to see that the Dubai’s healthcare system develops in line with current and future needs.
It also shows that of the total health tourists, 58 per cent were women, and the top source regions were Asia (33 per cent), the GCC (28 per cent) and Europe (23 per cent). On the most popular specialties list, dentists were followed by dermatologists (27%) and gynecologists (13%). The proportion of different services also differed by geography where the Asian patients sought most of the dermatology and gynecology treatments while the GCC patients focused on seeking dental care and orthopedic surgeries.
These figures highlight Dubai’s trends of becoming one of the global centers of specialized healthcare to patients from around the globe seeking to consult some of the best healthcare specialists and receive the highest quality of treatments and recovery services.
