Dubai’s medical trailblazer

A trained doctor, Dr Fatma Alsharaf swapped her lab coat for a laptop and now heads Dubai Healthcare City’s medical tourism initiative

Dr Fatma Al Sharaf is now the head of the strategy and partner development department at Dubai Healthcare City. Satish Kumar / The National

Dr Fatma Alsharaf can seemingly do it all in raising a family while promoting Dubai to the world as a medical tourism destination, Jennifer Bell reports

DUBAI // For Dr Fatma Alsharaf, hanging up her stethoscope was the toughest decision she has had to make.

The 30-year-old Emirati spent her life wanting to be a doctor and when she made the transition to management – to become the head of the strategy and partner development department at Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) – she did it with a heavy heart.

“I had spent a great deal of time and energy studying to become a doctor,” she said. “Giving up a dream that I grew up with, a dream that I had finally achieved, was not easy.

“On my last day at the hospital I thought to myself, ‘This is the last time that I will wear the white coat’.”

After gaining a bachelor of medicine degree, the married mother-of-three practised in an obstetrics and gynaecology department for two years.

“I can still remember going around, talking to doctors in a scientific language and to patients in another. I remember the demanding patients and eventful nights and how a simple smile from appreciative patients would help me forget all the stress.”

In her new role, Dr Alsharaf, of Dubai, wears many hats and has numerous responsibilities.

Perhaps most significantly, it is her role to spearhead DHCC’s medical tourism initiative and encourage patients to visit and be treated in the emirate.

“Medical tourism is a blend of local culture and modern medicine and I have always found it exciting to talk to people about the Dubai story, and about our inspirational leadership that was able to change this city in a very short time to an international benchmark for best practices.”

Her move stemmed from a desire to take on a greater professional challenge that she found in her early days in the role.

“I was exposed to a different environment, different culture and even a different language,” she said.

“I remember my first day at DHCC, when I had to give up my stethoscope for my laptop and I had to change the habit of documenting patient records with documenting meetings.

“It was challenging to adapt to conversations about business growth and business needs when all we used to discuss at the hospital was patient complaints, pain, treatment and medicine.”

Making the move was made easier by a boss who had also made the transition from doctor to healthcare management.

“He realised how challenging the new role was for me, and was able to reflect back on his own past,” said Dr Alsharaf, who has since added a master’s degree in healthcare management to her accomplishments.

“He always said that things always sound difficult at the beginning but with time and determination you will be able to catch up.”

Her transition also brought personal challenges.

While studying for her master’s, Dr Alsharaf was juggling a full-time job, a family and pregnancy – giving birth just days before submitting her graduation thesis. It was self-belief that helped women grow in the workplace, she believed.

“I am grateful because I grew up in a house where both my parents supported me and my sisters, not only to complete our education but to excel in our studies and professional life.

“Gender was never an excuse.”

Ultimately, Dr Alsharaf wants to be an integral part of helping Dubai achieve its vision of becoming a medical tourism hub and would also like to see more women achieve their goals. “In the science of change management, we realise that the most important factor for successful change is leadership support and empowerment. Women have this in the UAE.

“As Sheikh Mohammed said: ‘Arab women are half our community. Sometimes better than men. Perhaps in the past we lagged behind, but today she is growing to better heights in our society and is able to achieve goals within our communities. She will only grow’.”