Dubai’s plan to make medical insurance compulsory would pave the way for collaborative ventures and increase the private sector’s contribution to growth, said a senior official.

New regulations governing healthcare and a compulsory insurance scheme are expected to boost investment across the sector by producing significant partnership opportunities, the director general of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Essa Al Haj Al Maidoor said in an interview with Oxford Business Group, a global publishing, research and consultancy firm.
 
He said key developments, such as single hospitals expanding into chains and clinics extending their range of services, indicated that the medical tourism segment was already becoming an engine of growth.

“The focus now is to attract highly talented medical professionals and internationally recognised hospitals to further build the market’s momentum and credibility,” he said.

Al Maidoor added that clear regulations and legislation, shored up by a strong support system, would allow the market to further develop.

The full interview with Al Maidoor will appear in The Report: Dubai 2014, the group’s forthcoming guide on the country’s economic activity and investment opportunities. – TradeArabia News Service