A range of medical tourism packages for residents and visitors will be launched during an upcoming health regulations summit in Dubai, said a top Dubai Health Authority official.

The first edition of Health Regulations Conference will take place on October 22 and 23 at Conrad Hotel. The conference will act as a platform to discuss best practices in health regulation and medical tourism in the region and around the globe.

Dr Ramadan Ibrahim, director of Health Regulation and Medical Tourism at the DHA, said: “ The medical tourism package will be rolled out for tourists and residents alike in Dubai. We have collaborated with Emirates Holidays, Dubai Immigration, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and other stakeholders to roll-out several medical tourism packages.”

He said the packages will cater to both residents and tourists. “ For tourists the package will include hotel stay and flight tickets. For residents, it will offer discounted rates for certain medical services. The packages are comprehensive and extremely convenient.”

He added the package will cover seven areas of treatment such as dermatology, dental procedures,   preventive health check-ups, plastic surgery,  orthopedics and ophthalmology.

“In the first phase, we will only roll out packages for wellness and health-checkups.  As more and more people adopt a wellness lifestyle, travel agents can expect to see an increasing number of clients who want to incorporate wellness into their trip planning. This is a fast-growing field in the tourism sector,” Dr Ibrahim explained.

He added that the wellness tourism market includes primary and secondary wellness tourists. Primary wellness tourists travel entirely for wellness purposes while secondary wellness tourists engage in wellness-related activities as part of a trip. Secondary wellness tourists constitute the significant majority of total wellness tourism trips and expenditures.

In terms of the wellness and health check-ups package, he said: “This will include specialized packages from executive to basic ones offering  comprehensive health services.”

“Packages for men and women will comprise of specialist consultation, lab tests and other diagnostic tests. For instance, women’s health package will include consultation with a gynecologist, several investigations including but not limited to blood tests and breast cancer screening and  mammogram.

“There will also be a weight-loss package that includes consultation with a dietician and diet plans based on the person’s medical history,” he added.

Dr Ibrahim said the weight-loss package offers discount ranging from 10 to 40 per cent at prime health facilities in Dubai.

He said these packages are aimed to provide a comprehensive approach and treatment plan for lifestyle diseases and will help in early detection and treatment.

The packages can be bought by residents during the exhibition and tour operators will provide these packages for overseas visitors, he added.

The exhibitors include several health facilities like as well as Emirates Holidays, DTCM etc. – TradeArabia News Service