Dubai residents call for more community health clinics

New communities in Dubai say they are hampered by a lack of healthcare centres to cater for the needs of families.

Dubai Health Authority says it provides one health centre or clinic for every 30,000 residents. Satish Kumar / The National

DUBAI // Residents in new communities say they need healthcare facilities, and the lack of them, especially for families, is creating problems.

The dearth of such facilities in the Remraam community proved a deciding factor for Pakistani Tanzeela Ahfaz to move her family to Sharjah.

“We have three young kids at home, which means regular visits to the doctor. We had to drive 20 to 30 minutes to reach the nearest clinic, which is often irritating and troublesome,” said the 27-year-old.

“I feel residential communities, especially those meant for families, should have at least one basic healthcare clinic. These clinics are as important as any beauty parlour or grocery shop.”

Dubai Health Authority said there were 20 health centres and peripheral clinics across the emirate, a ratio of one centre or clinic for every 30,000 individuals.

Despite this, Falcon city resident Aslam Khan said he had to drive for 15 minutes to reach the nearest clinic, either in Sports City or Motor City.

“Unavailability of clinics nearby creates problems, especially when the mothers don’t drive and have to wait the whole day for their husbands to take children to the doctor, even for simple check-ups.”

Developers, he said, should make space available for clinics and this should be a requirement for every community from the beginning.

“We can see several private care providers in established areas, but new areas, where they are more required are yet to get the attention by the public and private sectors.”

Emirates Living resident Yasar Khan, however, thought the situation had improved in recent years.

“In the last five years, there has been a great boom in [private] clinics in our vicinity,” he said. “In 2009 and earlier, it used to be tough finding hospitals.”

Alisha Moopen, executive director and chief executive of Aster Group Hospitals and Clinics, said for people living in Dubai accessibility and convenience were key when choosing a healthcare provider.

“Clinics in neighbourhoods can also be associated with the emotions of going to your family doctor, who understands your needs more than any other doctor,” said Ms Moopen, whose company has 70 clinics around the UAE.

“Affordability and insurance acceptance are also key factors in deciding which healthcare facilities to choose from.”

Ms Moopen expressed satisfaction with the number of clinics serving Dubai, but with Expo 2020 coming and the expatriate population expected to increase developing communities would need health care, along with many other basic requirements.

As community clinics were more convenient and less expensive to establish, patients, she said, were also more limited to potential exposure to diseases than at large hospitals where they are treated under the same roof.

Some residents, however, said private clinics in their neighbourhoods were not always as good.

“There are many private clinics around my neighbourhood. Several of them are in walking distance,” said A D, a Green Community resident. “But the quality of these clinics is often not good.”

He expressed a desire for more clinics to be run publicly rather than privately.