ABU DHABI // Expatriates would rather seek medical treatment abroad if they became seriously ill, despite an increasing amount of trust in the UAE’s healthcare system.
The survey reveals a continued lack of confidence in health treatment among expats despite the ever improving medical system.
Ryder Smith, of PricewaterhouseCoopers, says there are likely to be a few reasons behind the choice for some to go abroad for treatment.
“It is a relatively young country,” he says. “And confidence in the system, particularly in highly specialised services, will grow over time. I think, generally speaking, people do have a lot of trust in the system.”
Emiratis and expatriates may also travel abroad for treatment because of a lack of some specialities in the country.
“There are some services that are not here, especially when you get into the sub-specialities such as cardiovascular, cancer and paediatrics in particular,” Mr Smith says.
The country is only 43 years old, and in that time there has been rapid and significant growth in the number and quality of health services, he says.
If the UAE is to build trust, there must be a focus on getting the “A-list” to the country, Mr Smith says.
“It is really, really important to get the top-notch people to come through here, even on a rotation basis,” he says.
Cohesion between Arabian Gulf countries would also help.
“If all Gulf countries worked to build one specialised bone marrow centre, for example,” Mr Smith says. Gulf residents could stay locally for treatment rather than travel to Europe or Asia.
Glenn Calaguas, 32, a salesman in Abu Dhabi, says he would prefer to travel home to the Philippines for treatment.
“I would go back to my country. It is better there. Somebody will take care of me. It is better to be in my country with my family,” Mr Calaguas says.
Mohammed Abdullah, 20, an Emirati, would also prefer medical treatment outside the UAE.
“It is better outside,” he says.
Germany is Mr Abdullah’s country of choice. “I went there for two surgeries – my knee and my ankle,” he says.
The survey found that if faced with a serious medical problem, only 29 per cent of respondents would prefer to be treated here.
This was particularly true with Asians (64 per cent) and westerners (61 per cent), who would prefer being treated in their home country.
This is despite 76 per cent saying they trust local healthcare professionals, while 33 per cent say their trust in the health system is improving.
“This can be looked at as a positive improvement. People are getting more trusting of the healthcare system, but it’s still a work in progress,” says Lara Al Barazi, YouGov associate research director.
“This requires time and effort from the authorities to make sure residents are fully trusting of the system.”
Almost one in five respondents say they have travelled abroad for medical treatment while living in the UAE.
When facing a minor medical condition, 53 per cent visit their primary physician. Another 22 per cent would visit a primary healthcare centre and 7 per cent said they would visit a hospital emergency room.
Some respondents are sceptical about the country’s ambitious plans to become a medical tourism centre. Asked how well equipped they feel the UAE is to tap into the sector market, only 51 per cent are confident the country could do so.
The biggest vote of confidence came from Arab expatriates, 55 per cent.
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