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High demand for medical services Abu Dhabi is most successful in providing easy access to healthcare services for all residents and workers Olivia Olarte-Ulherr
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mong all the seven emirates, Abu Dhabi has made considerable headway in ensuring that all its residents and workers have easy access to healthcare services with the enforcement of the Health Insurance Law No. 23 of 2005. According to the law, employers or sponsors are obligated to provide health insurance coverage to all employees/workers and their dependents/family members including the employee’s spouse and three children below 18 years of age. Failure to provide health coverage or renewal of employees’ health cards will result in fines and non-renewal of the trade licence till the employer submits evidence of health insurance subscription for his employees. More than two million people or almost 98 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s population currently have health insurance coverage. Dr Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, Director of Customer Care and Corporate Communications at the Health Authority — Abu Dhabi (HAAD), the health regulator of the emirate, said that HAAD is working on attaining 100 per cent compliance. Future endeavour would be to integrate the health insurance with the Emirates ID card or the national identity card. “We will replace the insurance cards with the Emirates ID cards,” said Zaid Al Siksek, HAAD CEO.
With the smart card technology, the individual’s medical history and health information will be incorporated in their Emirates ID. Thiqa Card Part of the authority’s insurance scheme is the Thiqa card of the National Health Insurance Company, Daman, for UAE nationals. This was introduced in 2008 to allow Emiratis free access to care in any of the private and public health providers of their choice. An important element of the Thiqa card is the compulsory ‘Weqaya’ (precaution) screening for adult Emiratis (18 years and above) for cardiovascular diseases’ risk factors as a condition for enrolling in Thiqa insurance. Early results of the Weqaya screening, which was carried out on 185,000 Emiratis or 97 per cent of the local nationals, showed obesity rates of 33 per cent for males and 38 per cent for females. High proportions of UAE nationals over 15 years are also at risk of diabetes and hypertension. To empower them to care for their own health, each individual was sent a report card. The card tells each individual their blood sugar level (an indication of risk of diabetes), cholesterol and body mass index (an indication of risk of heart disease). And depending on their risk factor, advice was given on how they could improve their health and manage their condition. Phase 2 of the Wegaya
programme started this year and include tests for Vitamin D deficiency and kidney function. These tests were optional for those who are renewing their Thiqa card. “We know that we have a huge problem in this area (Vitamin D deficiency) and we would like to know how huge the problem is,” explained Dr Khaled Aidha Al Jaberi, Manager of NonCommunicable Disease at HAAD. Diabetes The emirate has high rates of chronic diseases related to lifestyle such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovas cu lar dis eas es accounted for over a quarter of deaths in 2011. In an endeavour to make sure that the emirate was providing appropriate diabetes care, HAAD carried out a survey in 2010, which showed that only 20 per cent of the 140,823 people with diabetes in the emirate have their condition well under control. Among the diabetics, women and older people (60 years and above) had better control of diabetes than men and the younger patients. Among the health insurance plans, Thiqa card provides better diabetes care (27 per cent) than the enhanced (20 per cent) and basic products (15 per cent). Capacity gaps With the emirate’s growing population, Abu Dhabi faces
Dhabi has critical requirements for intensive and critical care, emergency care, neonatology, cardiology and psychiatry. Gaps also remain in paediatrics, oncology, obstetrics and gynaecology. To bridge these gaps, HAAD said it would prioritise licensing of healthcare professionals where there are acute shortages. HAAD is also encouraging private investments in areas where there are shortfalls.
Dr Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi
growing demand for services specifically on the growing burden of chronic diseases. In specialised services, Abu
Growth According to HAAD, there has been a significant growth in the number of physicians and facilities across the emirate due to increased demand for health services, driven primarily by increased outpatient encounters. HAAD 2011 statistics showed
that there has been a three per cent growth in the number of physicians and 11.8 per cent growth of facilities across the emirate. By 2021 it is estimated that up to 3,200 additional doctors and 5,900 nurses will be required. And if demand remains at the 2011 level, this requires annual recruitment of some 1,500 doctors and 1,600 nurses. High demand projections also indicate that in 2021, demand for inpatient services may require up to 1,600 additional beds beyond the current 3,659 beds. Based on the projected population by 2030, which will be double the current 2.4 million, up to 20 new medium to large hospitals and 23 new clinics will be required to serve the community in future. — olivia@khaleejtimes.com
HEALTHCARE IN ABU DHABI
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Al Noor
Spearheading quality medical treatment As a leading private hospital in Abu Dhabi, Al Noor provides a comprehensive range of medical services to society Al Noor Hospital is a wellestablished healthcare operation and management company based in Abu Dhabi. It was established in 1985 and has developed into a leading private hospital in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Al Noor Hospital specialises in healthcare management and provides its expertise to clients in many areas. In particular, the company has extensive experience in the management and operation of acute hospitals and the provision of consultancy services in all areas of healthcare activity. The company has strong and active links with affiliates in UK’s National Health Service and the Health Authority Abu Dhabi in addition to a number of international health institutions. Committed to the continuing process of improvement in all areas of the hospital’s activities, Al Noor makes efficient use of ressources and the development of education and training. The hospital has an experienced international operations team that is qualified to deliver excellent healthcare management and operational services. In April 2000, Al Noor was awarded the prestigious ISO 2002 certificate, becoming the first private hospital in Abu Dhabi to achieve this honour. In 2002, Al
Al Noor Hospital has consistently won accolades for its performance Noor won the International Award for Best Performance. Al Noor has continued its success story by bagging Shaikh Khalifa Excellence awards in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Recent laurels include JCI accreditation for Al Noor Hospital Al Ain City, Al Noor Hospital Khalifa Street and Al Noor Hospital Airport Road, Abu Dhabi. Al Noor hospitals provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient medical and surgical services with 24 hours accident and emergency services to the residents of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain City, other emirates and patients from the other Gulf states. Equipped with the latest and most advanced medical equipment, the hospital remains a pioneer, always keen to introduce cutting edge diagnostic and treat-
Dr Kassem Alom, Managing Director of Al Noor Hospital, with Derick Pasternak, Managing Director of JCI (Joint Commission International ) Middle East, receives the accreditation
ment techniques. Al Noor Hospital, Al Ain City Under the guidance of Shaikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan and as directed by Shaikh Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamid, Al Noor Medical Company opened a private hospital in the centre of Al Ain City to serve the local community of nationals and residents. The new facilities at Al Noor Hospital, Al Ain City have further enhanced the healthcare environment with the existence of private insurance and an expressed need of such a hospital. This facility was opened in November 2005. Al Noor Hospital, Airport Road Abu Dhabi Under the guidance of Shaikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan and as directed by Shaikh Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamid, Al Noor Medical Company began the process of establishing a private hospital on Airport Road Abu Dhabi. The new facility has further enhanced the healthcare environment with Al Noor Hospital Airport Road being the nearest facility to Al Mafraq Hospital, and additionally being half way distance to the centre of the city of Abu Dhabi. This facility opened in 2007 containing VIP and Royal suites. New specialised services like renal dialysis are part of the new setup along IVF and oncology. You can visit the hospital’s website for further information at www.alnoorhospital.com
ProVita International
Critical care facility based on German experience ProVita International Medical Centre adds a new chapter to healthcare in Abu Dhabi
Latha Krishnan
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ince February 2011, ProVita International Medical Centre in Abu Dhabi has been providing long-term care for acute ventilator dependent patients in a non-hospital setting. ProVita is the only healthcare provider of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It is a portfolio company of TVM Capital MENA, the first international private equity house with focus on healthcare, to establish operations in the UAE. The establishment of ProVita in Abu Dhabi is the result of the collaboration between TVM Capital MENA and Christina ShawkyBoehme, Founder of ProVita. Together they have been able to bring to the UAE a very unique care model that was built on German operational experience. Cur-
rently it cares for 34 patients, most of whom require mechanical ventilation. ProVita’s staff which includes 100 professional doctors and nurses, trained toprovide intensive care, work dedicatedly and diligently to enhance quality of life, increase the patient’s human potential besides continually promoting normalcy for patients and their families. “Although we have had one or two patients who have been discharged, it is a rarity for us, as most of our patients are very ill with little hope of complete recovery. A sizeable number of our patients are children aged one to 10 with severe genetic diseases or severely injured in traffic accidents. We do a lot of rehabilitation work, giving them substantial therapy including respiratory and other specialised therapies, designed according to each pa-
Enhancing quality of life and normalcy for patients
Long-term care for acute ventilator-dependent residents in a homely environment tient’s needs and with the goal of maximising their quality of life as much as possible. Many of them will be in our facility for years. In that time, if we can bring them to a stage they can actually be discharged and taken home for further care, we consider that a big success,” explains Dr Helmut Schuehsler, Executive Chairman of the Board of ProVita and CEO of TVM Capital MENA. Realising the need for more capacity in Abu Dhabi, a second facility is set to open in Al Ain in late 2012. The new facility, located in the Al Foah district, houses four large residential-style villas. It will have a capacity of around 50 patients and more than 150 internationally trained staff, specialising in ICU and acute patient care. “We are focused on strengthening our presence in Abu Dhabi and the new facility in Al Ain is going to help cover the entire emirate. ProVita’s facility in Al Ain is currently nearing completion and getting finishing touches. Our foray into the rest of the country and the region will be much later,” says Schuehsler.