Hospital bed penetration across the region still falls well short of the global average, despite a wave of healthcare investment.
According to Alpen Capital, which released its healthcare industry report yesterday, medical inflation – resulting from investments by hospitals in infrastructure, health technology and staff salaries was at 6.8 per cent – across the Arabian Gulf region in 2014. Alpen expected it to remain steady at that rate.
In the Gulf region, the UAE accounts for 26 per cent of total government healthcare spending. The per-capita healthcare spending in the UAE was at US$1,569 in 2013, the second highest in the region, after Qatar.
Medical inflation in the UAE was 2.3 per cent in 2014 and is forecast to touch 3.4 per cent by 2020.
“With the economy under stress, the Government has to promote healthcare infrastructure and to do that there has to be a heavy reliance on the private sector,” said Sanjay Vig, the managing director of Alpen Capital.
Alpen Capital expected healthcare spending in the UAE to touch $19.5 billion in 2020, up from $10.7bn last year.
The demand for hospital beds is expected to rise by almost 3 per cent each year to reach 13,800 beds by 2020. A growing population and the introduction of mandatory health coverage are fuelling much of the growth.
The region had, on average, 17 beds per 10,000 people, according the latest data from 2012. That fell short of the global average of 27 beds per 10,000 people, the report.
Increased investment in specialised care centres and day surgery centres are also on the cards, a senior Ministry of Health official told The National last week.
Mr Vig said: “The governments in the region have been funding a lot of their population on going overseas for advanced medical treatment because of a lack of facilities in the region.”
“Once they build the infrastructure here, they can treat them in their country, which would reduce the expenditure quite significantly.”
Speaking on the sidelines of Arab Health exhibition in Dubai last month, a DHA official told The National that ambulatory care, home care, long-term stay and day-surgery centres would be the focus of public-private partnerships.
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
England squad
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
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THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
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The%20Specs
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