Dubai Healthcare City is an AED$1.8 billion (US$490 million) development backed by the government of Dubai. Dubai Healthcare City will work closely with the government’s of Dubai’s Department of Health & Medical Services and the UAE’s Ministry of Health to improve the overall healthcare system and facilitate delivery of healthcare. But it is not a government entity.
Dubai Healthcare City is described as “a self-regulated environment for high-quality healthcare, medical education and research,” which has a mission to “create a platform for the provision of healthcare, education and research services within an informed regulatory framework.” The aim is to complement the existing facilities in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, and to provide higher quality healthcare services where necessary.
Dubai Healthcare City has two complementary communities: the Medical Community and the Wellness Community. The Medical Community represents the first phase of development, and the Wellness Community the second, though both are currently under construction, and both are expected to be fully operational in 2010 or 2011.
The Medical Community, which focuses on acute care services, occupies an area of 4.1 million square feet. “Dubai Healthcare City will treat the region with a host of medical services grouped in a highly convenient setting. Physician offices, ambulatory surgery centers, general hospitals, specialty hospitals, rehabilitation and long-term care facilities, hospice, and diagnostic laboratories are brought together to deliver diagnostic and treatment services to an international standard.”
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Academic Medical Center is at the core of the Dubai Healthcare City’s clinical and educational structure, and has five components:
- University Hospital, a 400 bed tertiary medical center planned to open in 2011);
- Harvard Medical School Dubai Center Institute for Postgraduate Education and Research (see our article);
- Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research;
- Al Maktoum Harvard Medical Library; and
- Boston University Dental Health Center & Institute for Dental Research & Education.
The Wellness Community covers 19 million square feet and includes hospitals (including long-term care and rehab) and outpatient clinics, alternative medicine (e.g., chiropractic, osteopathy, acupuncture), “mixed use” facilities (i.e., which will “… house representatives from each healthcare-related service, such as medical equipment companies, insurance firms, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare consultants, and complementary and alternative medicine suppliers.”), luxury spa resorts, one five-star hotel, and a residential area that will have retail and food/beverage outlets.
Dubai Healthcare City lies in the heart of Dubai, alongside Rashid Hospital, and is accessible from Abu Dhabi and Al Ain through Sheikh Zayed Road.
