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Published on: 27th January 2025
What Is Medical Tourism?
Medical tourism essentially means traveling outside your country of residence for the purpose of availing quality and affordable healthcare services. Also known as medical travel or health tourism, in simple terms, medical tourism is all about receiving treatment in international countries providing top-notch medical care and facilities when such treatments might be difficult to obtain in your homeland due to a plethora of other reasons. It’s growing rapidly popular, both in developed and developing countries.
People are traveling from under-developed geographies to highly flourished countries, mainly because of unavailability or inaccessibility of specific treatments in the domestic country. Others from affluent countries are opting to go to developing nations for few of the healthcare services because of the destination country’s specialization in that treatment offering or the convenience that it offers to avail treatments at a much lower cost, without having to be in the waiting list for long in one’s own country.
Have you ever considered medical tourism as an option or recommended the same to your friends and family members? Let’s dive straight into this blog article to understand what medical tourism in Dubai is all about, benefits of Dubai health travel, popular treatments there, common reasons why people are choosing Dubai health facilities, growth of global healthcare, how to get started while considering medical tourism in Dubai and so on. You too can travel abroad to get state-of-the-art medical treatments in Dubai, but before you do that, assess the pros and cons of your medical travel effectively.
Did You Know?
According to research, the value of the global health tourism sector in the year 2020 was around US$54 billion, and is expected to grow almost by 4 times to US$207 billion by 2027.
Key Statistics About Medical Tourism In Dubai
- The Dubai Health Authority (DHA)’s ‘Dubai in One Day (June 2024)’, is a cutting-edge health tourism package for international patients, aimed at providing medical tourists with quick scheduling of treatment procedures while availing holistic tourism amenities. This effort strives to integrate Dubai’s healthcare with its tourism excellence, thus positioning it as a global healthcare hub coupled with exciting travel opportunities.
- About 674,000 medical tourists were reported to have spent Dh992 million ($270 million) in 2022 by Dubai Health Authority, increasing from Dh262 million in the previous year.
- In the year 2022, an MOU was signed between The Ministry of Economy and Dubai Health Authority (DHA) to promote health tourism by exchanging expertise in Intellectual Property (IP) and patents.
Top Medical Treatments That Can Be Availed In Dubai
Dubai provides highly advanced medical infrastructure and critically acclaimed world-class experiences for medical tourists traveling from different countries. It offers an array of specialities, some of them being:
- Cosmetic Treatments
- Orthopedics
- Sports Medicine
- Oncology
- Ophthalmology
- Dental Surgeries
- Dermatology
- Preventive Health Checkups
- Infertility Treatments
- Plastic Surgeries
- Gynecology
- Wellness Treatments
- Cardiac Care
Dubai Health Tourism: How To Get Started?
Dubai is one of the leading medical travel destinations, thanks to its world-class healthcare offerings, multicultural accessibility, highly developed tourism infrastructure, renowned and acclaimed treatment facilities, well-trained and internationally qualified healthcare providers.
A step-by-step guide on how you can go about your medical travel planning for Dubai:
- Conduct thorough medical research about the destination, facility and doctors
- Book a pre-travel consultation with them to understand dos and don’ts
- Have your near ones just around to support you in every step of your journey right from preplanning your healthcare travel to your post-treatment follow-up
- Seek expert advice from your local doctor on your health condition before making your final decision to get medical care abroad
- Choose a reputed medical tourism platform / site / agency
- Consult your local insurance provider to chart out different options with your current insurance cover. Let them know that you’re considering medical tourism and plan your additional monetary requirements abroad accordingly
- Avail all details about your chosen medical package – what’s included, what’s excluded etc.
- Obtain cost breakup information from the medical tourism portal along with other details regarding duration of stay, treatment schedule, travel booking, accommodation, quotation assistance, visa and so on
- Plan for contingencies, for example: extending your stay for treatment completion due to any health emergency that may arise in the middle of the procedure
- Duly maintain all your health records – before your trip, during the trip and after your trip for future reference and health checkups later
- Assess any risks that may be associated with your medical travel and plan in advance for the same
- Understand legal and ethical concerns around the selected medical procedure and the chosen medical tourism destination
Why Choose Dubai For Health Tourism?
Here are some common reasons why people are seeking treatment in Dubai:
> State-of-the-art treatment facilities
> Qualified healthcare practitioners from all over the world
> Highly advanced travel and medical infrastructure
> Holistic medical services right from elective surgeries to critical treatment procedures
> Increased global acclaim and reputation in the recent years
> Specialized treatments for specific conditions
> Advanced medical technologies and innovative healthcare practices
> Government’s proactive support in regulating the healthcare ecosystem for tourists
> Comprehensive care packages for patient’s comfort curated for travel, stay…
Did You Know?
Medical Tourism Vs. Health Insurance
Medical tourism is booming at large, and is considered a viable option for many people who are either uninsured, or underinsured or their insurance coverage has reached its limit in their country.
Conclusion
First Response Healthcare specializes in fast and reliable doctor on call services for international patients bringing the best of home healthcare in Dubai 24X7 to your doorstep. Now you can call the best doctors in Dubai to your hotel, home or office, within just 30 minutes at your own convenience, as per your schedule. Being a leading doctor on call service provider in Dubai, First Response Healthcare’s internationally trained doctors recognize the importance of timely healthcare for medical tourists while the local medical centers could be closed during off hours and hence offer comprehensive care at your location. The doctors, nurses and physiotherapists are all licensed by Dubai Health Authority. First Response Healthcare also enjoys the accreditation by the Joint Commission International for its processes and quality of care that meet global standards. With extensive experience, the doctors and medical professionals can converse in about 15+ languages, thus ensuring that communication between medical practitioners and international patients is more compassionate and clear.
> SKIP THE WAITING
> CHOOSE FIRST RESPONSE HEALTHCARE
> BOOK DOCTOR ON CALL
> AVAIL MEDICAL CARE OF INTERNATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED STANDARDS
> 365 DAYS, 24X7 HEALTHCARE ASSISTANCE RIGHT AT YOUR LOCATION IN DUBAI
> COMFORT TO MEDICAL TOURISTS WITH INTEGRATED TREATMENT SUPPORT
Medical tourism in Dubai has flourished extensively over the recent years and is only expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. While it means enormous opportunities for healthcare professionals and health care centers in Dubai to deliver international patient care, the additional strain on healthcare facilities to provide for the medical needs of local and domestic patients, on priority, cannot be ignored and is often a common concern raised in discussions around medical tourism’s negative impact on the economy as it promotes deepening of inequities.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Q. What are some risks I should be aware of beforehand as a medical tourist?
The gravity of risks depends on multiple factors like the health care center where the treatment is being provided, quality and experience of practitioners who are involved in the procedure, and most importantly, patient’s health condition once they arrive at the destination country for medical treatment. Patients can consider a few complications like, infectious diseases, low quality of medical care, communication problems in a new country, travel tiredness impacting the treatment’s commencement, post-treatment follow-up, extended stay in the foreign country for treatment completion if any sudden complications arise, legal issues if any, financial damages, insurance coverage abroad etc.
Q. Is ‘traveling for treatment’ different from ‘medical tourism’?
Yes, medical tourism and traveling for treatment are two separate scenarios and cannot be considered fully alike.
| Medical Tourism | Traveling For Treatment |
| Often and popularly undertaken for elective surgeries like cosmetic, dental etc. However that does not mean medical tourism is not for complex medical care in patients needing cancer treatments and orthopedic surgeries. | In majority of the cases, the patient is referred by the neighborhood treating doctor to avail treatment away from home due to the cost factor or expertise that’s not available within the country. |
| Option to combine an exciting, leisurely and luxurious travel cum cultural experience of the international country along with the treatment. | Recuperation is the main objective, not a combined relaxed travel opportunity. |
| Also taken up in cases where there is a need for anonymity or stigmatized care for the patient. | Usually done for a specific treatment as prescribed, unlike medical tourism where a variety of ancillary procedures can also be combined. |
Q. What kind of services can medical tourism sites provide?
Usually, reputed and reliable medical tourism portals can help you with a variety of end-to-end health travel support like direct contact with medical practitioners, visa issuance, hotel and accommodation, transport and travel booking, appointment scheduling and other engagement activities, in turn giving medical tourists a holistic experience.
Key References And Citations:
- Custom Market Insights: UAE medical tourism market size likely to grow at a CAGR of 8.70% by 2033
- BlueWeave Consulting: UAE medical tourism market
- The National: How the UAE has become one of the world’s fastest-growing medical tourism destinations
- Medical Tourism: Destinations – Welcome to Dubai
- William Russell: Medical tourism – What is health tourism and where is it popular?
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general awareness purposes only. This is in no way intended to be a substitute for any medical advice by a healthcare professional. It is recommended that thorough research is conducted for specific and specialized needs of medical tourists who are considering traveling to Dubai for their or their loved one’s treatment. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion while making any healthcare decision and also consult a qualified medical expert for personalized advice. First Response Healthcare does not endorse any particular treatment option as individual experience can differ from person to person and patients are required to evaluate their options accordingly.
