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By: Lotfi Khelifi
Editor in Chief
In 2016, I had a meeting with Dr. Laila Al-Marzouqi, who at that time was the Chairperson of the Dubai Health Tourism Council. The meeting took place on the sidelines of an international health tourism conference in Vienna. During that conference, Dr. Laila spoke about Dubai’s plans in the field of health tourism and announced that the Dubai Health Authority had launched the “Dubai Experience” program, aiming to make Dubai a global destination for health tourism. As I listened to her impressive and confident presentation, I had a strange feeling—a mix of admiration for her ambitious plans and skepticism about whether they could actually be achieved.
This is especially considering that Dubai, the UAE, and the Gulf region in general still send a significant number of their citizens abroad for medical treatment and have specialized departments for this purpose. Additionally, the cost of treatment in Dubai is very high compared to many competing medical destinations like Turkey, India, Thailand, and Malaysia.
When Dr. Laila finished her presentation, she was bombarded with questions from many attendees at the conference, and her answers were comprehensive and satisfying. As for me, I preferred to keep my questions to myself and chose to speak to her privately—this is a matter between two Arabs in a foreign land. At the end of the conference, I approached the wonderful doctor and asked her: “Dear Doctor, I have one question: how can what you talked about be achieved considering the current situation?” She replied with a confident smile:
“Mr. Lotfi, we are in a country that believes what is impossible today becomes possible tomorrow in all sectors, and the health sector is no exception. We have clear plans and specific segments we aim to attract. Our priority is the quality of health services, not competition in price. We aim to attract those seeking high-quality treatment, a safe therapeutic environment, global medical expertise, advanced infrastructure, and modern medical equipment, ensuring the patient can access care quickly and easily. All these factors create a seamless treatment cycle and ensure the highest possible quality of healthcare.
This is what we have already started, and our initial indicators have exceeded our expectations. In 2014, our initial expectation for the following year was to attract 170,000 tourists for health tourism, but our reports showed we exceeded our expectations for that year. We work under the guidance of a leadership that has vision, programs, and plans that guarantee results.” I recall Dr. Laila telling me at that time that the Health Tourism Council she chaired aspired to attract 500,000 health tourists by 2020. Dr. Laila’s words came true, and the council achieved what it promised. By 2020, Dubai ranked sixth among 46 destinations on the Global Medical Tourism Index 2020-2021, fifth in the quality of healthcare facilities and services, seventh in destination environment, and 13th in the health tourism industry. The numbers have now exceeded 650,000 health tourists in Dubai and nearly a million health tourists nationwide. How was this achieved in such a short period, which included the COVID years that severely impacted health tourism? It is the sincere will, precise planning, diligent and dedicated work, and above all, the belief that those who follow the path will reach their destination.
I conclude my editorial with these short sentences from the official website of the Ministry of Health, which encapsulate the significant and rapid development witnessed by the health sector in the UAE at all levels, especially infrastructure, healthcare facilities, and the quality of healthcare, adapting to all technological changes and the high efficiency of medical personnel: “The health sector is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UAE, which ranks first globally in the number of accredited health facilities, thanks to the implementation of a healthcare system based on the highest international standards, by developing the readiness of the healthcare system to deal with epidemics and health risks, making the UAE one of the best countries in healthcare quality.” All this was achieved in a period difficult for a person to imagine.
But who follows the path will reach their destination…
