The medical tourism development program is divided into two stages. The first of them ends in 2016. Within its framework, 18 private and 4 state hospitals will be created and nearly 4,000 thousand health workers will be hired. Private hospitals will focus on the markets of the CIS countries, South Asia and the Persian Gulf. The areas of medicine in which it is supposed to provide the bulk of services to non-residents include orthopedics and sports medicine, plastic surgery, ophthalmology, dentistry, dermatology and preventive medicine.
By the end of the year, the Dubai Health Department, together with the Department of Tourism and Commercial Marketing and other interested organizations, will develop special packages for tourists, including air tickets, visas, hotel accommodations and an excursion program in addition to the treatment program proposed by the patient’s chosen Dubai hospital. The type of visa will depend on the type of treatment. The Dubai Health Department plans to audit the existing hospitals and hotels and evaluate them in terms of the needs of the medical tourist. In 2012, the emirate was visited by 107 thousand medical tourists, by 2016 their number should increase to 170 thousand. Currently, the emirate employs 25,850 medical workers of various levels.
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