Dubai Launches Second Phase Of Healthcare City Project

UAE VP, PM and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has formally launched the second phase of Dubai Healthcare City, state news agency WAM reported.

The project, built at a cost ranging between Dhs3 billion and Dhs5 billion, will be spread across 22 million square feet and located in the Jadaf area.

The launch of the second phase of the project is in line with UAE vision 2021 and will help promote the emirate as a medical tourism hub, said Raja Eisa Al Gurg, deputy chairperson, and executive director of the Dubai Healthcare City Authority.

Almost 25 per cent of the new phase will consist of medical and healthcare services, while another 25 per cent will be dedicated to hospitality and retail shopping, along with a focus on education, Al Gurg noted.

Dubai has been overhauling its healthcare facilities to redirect the outflow of residents seeking medical treatment and capture part of the medical tourism market travelling to Asia, as part of plans to become a major medical tourism hub.

Last year, Dubai set an ambitious target to attract 500,000 medical tourists by 2020.

The emirate’s medical tourism strategy has been divided into two phases with the first stage chalked out until 2016 and the second phase until 2020.

“By 2016 we expect a 15 per cent jump, bringing the total number of tourists to 170,000 and the revenues to Dhs1.1billion and by 2020 if we consider a 20 per cent jump, it brings the number to 500,000 tourists and revenues to Dhs2.6 billion,” Ramadan Ibrahim, director of the health regulation department and the director of the medical tourism project said in an earlier statement.

Some of the target markets for Dubai’s medical tourism initiative are Russia, the CIS, South Asia and other GCC countries.