Inbound numbers to Dubai increase

Inbound medical tourism in Dubai has shown a 9.5% increase since 2015, generating over $380 million annually.

Dubai generated $381 million from medical tourism with 326,649 medical tourists visiting the emirate in 2016, according to the Dubai Health Authority.

This is a 9.5 % increase over 2015 and the most popular areas of treatment were orthopaedics, dermatology and ophthalmology

Asians are the largest international patient group, accounting for 37 % of visitors. Arab and GCC countries accounted for 31 % and Europe amounted to 15 % of the total, with the other 37% from within the UAE and Africa. These statistics are international patients so do include expatriates working in Dubai and elsewhere in the UAE.

The Dubai Statistics Centre collects patients’ data from the private health sector, outpatient clinics and clinics. The private health care sector is mandated to collate key information on their patients, including age, gender, nationality and city of residence. Private centres are required to submit data periodically to the Dubai Statistics Centre’s electronic system. The statistics are then used to develop a greater understanding of medical tourism trends.