Despite strong support from the UAE government, private healthcare providers still face significant challenges to operate and grow in the Emirates, said a report.

One of the key limitations to development is the lack of standardization of regulations across the country and the various stages of healthcare development of each Emirate, according to Deloitte Middle East’s newly released 2011 Survey of the UAE healthcare sector.

Other challenges explored in the report, include the attraction, retention and development of qualified healthcare professionals, the cost and complexity of regulation requirements and licensing, and a lack of confidence in the UAE’s health system coupled with high treatment cost which represent the main sources of UAE outbound medical tourism.

The report also explores the following five key opportunities in the UAE healthcare sector:

• Inbound medical tourism’s potential resides in minor plastic surgery care

• Being a specialty care center brings a sustainable competitive advantage

• Demand for long-term care facilities will grow

• The government is highly supporting home care services development

• Creating partnerships between UAE providers will improve patients’ access to advanced medical equipment

“The UAE’s ambition and long-term strategy are to have the country become a preferred destination for domestic patients and a hub for global medical tourists seeking high quality and cost-effective procedures and treatments,” said Firas Eid, consulting partner at Deloitte in the Middle East.

“To achieve this, the government is improving the country’s regulatory environment and capacity planning in addition to empowering and encouraging the development of Public Private Partnerships (PPP). At the same time, increased participation of branded private players is seen as a means to create competition and raise care standards throughout the country.”

“The potential of the UAE healthcare sector is supported by the general economic outlook with strong GDP growth forecasted,” added Firas Eid.

“High government spending and improved consumer confidence are expected to boost private consumption in the UAE. The rise in the population’s affluence should improve the UAE population’s ability to consume increasing healthcare services,” he concluded.

The survey was conducted by the Deloitte Middle East Consulting and Enterprise Risk Services teams, and was based on interviews with key healthcare industry players including regulators, private and public providers, insurers and patients.

In addition to highlighting the opportunities and challenges faced by medical service providers, the report provides a macro analysis of the economic indicators of the UAE followed by an overview of the country’s healthcare market trends. – TradeArabia News Service