Overview
The UAE healthcare system is a mix of public and private, with the public system
working as a comprehensive system that cares for all patient needs and covers all legal
residents living in the capital city. The private sector is expanding, too, as part of the
Emirate-wide trend of expanding economic diversity. Private hospitals in Abu Dhabi
increasingly house state-of-the-art facilities, and many cater to medical tourists. Abu
Dhabi has installed an E-hub for medical tourists seeking fast information. It also offers
new Medical Treatment Visas to facilitate ease of access for international travelers. Like
Dubai, Abu Dhabi has forged partnerships with western healthcare brands, and the
massive infrastructure its government has carefully built over the last decade has
positioned it well as a regional leader in the industry.
Abu Dhabi is a well-managed destination. It may not top the region, but it has methodically built a powerful medical tourism program that can make a compelling case for being the best in West Asia. It doesn’t have the manicured reputation of a diverse tourist destination that Dubai has, yet its Department of Tourism & Culture is brining many global conventions and events to make it shine. Abu Dhabi still excels in the MTI thanks to strong showings across all categories, relative to many of its Arab peers. Recent international initiatives and direct investments in its medical tourism program are evident in the index data – while Dubai scores the highest in categories related to economic and environmental factors, Abu Dhabi ranks noticeably higher in the MTI’s explicit Medical Tourism category, which focuses primarily on destination attractiveness and medical costs. In our category, Abu Dhabi ranks 7th; Dubai ranks 32nd. Abu Dhabi’s Facilities, Quality of Care, Accreditation, and Patient Experience all rank in the top 10 in the world.
*Based on the 2020 – 2021 Global MTI (Medical Tourism Index) Report published by the Medical Tourism Association.*
Abu Dhabi is a well-managed destination. It may not top the region, but it has methodically built a powerful medical tourism program that can make a compelling case for being the best in West Asia. It doesn’t have the manicured reputation of a diverse tourist destination that Dubai has, yet its Department of Tourism & Culture is brining many global conventions and events to make it shine. Abu Dhabi still excels in the MTI thanks to strong showings across all categories, relative to many of its Arab peers. Recent international initiatives and direct investments in its medical tourism program are evident in the index data – while Dubai scores the highest in categories related to economic and environmental factors, Abu Dhabi ranks noticeably higher in the MTI’s explicit Medical Tourism category, which focuses primarily on destination attractiveness and medical costs. In our category, Abu Dhabi ranks 7th; Dubai ranks 32nd. Abu Dhabi’s Facilities, Quality of Care, Accreditation, and Patient Experience all rank in the top 10 in the world.
*Based on the 2020 – 2021 Global MTI (Medical Tourism Index) Report published by the Medical Tourism Association.*