DUBAI // Reforms and the mandatory health insurance scheme being rolled out in Dubai were hot topics at a healthcare seminar on Monday.
The scheme will require all employers in Dubai to provide basic healthcare cover by the end of June next year at the latest.
Associate professor Dr Francesco Paulucci, who heads the health policy and leadership programme at Murdoch University, Dubai, said: "Universal mandatory coverage is not new to this region.
"Various public, private or national-based insurance schemes have been considered or adopted in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
"The Dubai scheme is similar to Qatar's, which, in its first year, has been an inspiration for the region towards providing universal coverage. The Dubai model seems to strike a good balance between incentives for efficiency and equity, while allowing for competition between insurers."
Companies with more than 1,000 workers have already had to ensure a health cover is in place for their staff. In phase two, companies with 100 to 999 employees will have until the end of July to comply. Companies with fewer than 100 workers have until the end of June next year.
If companies fail to abide by the rules, fines of between Dh50 and Dh500,000 could be levied.
Dr Klaus Boeker, who helped develop a healthcare strategy in Abu Dhabi, was on a panel of experts that discussed "Health Reforms in the Middle East: Lessons, Opportunities and Challenges" on Monday, which touched upon Dubai's mandatory health insurance scheme as well as various areas of health care that are in need of improvement in the UAE.
Dr Boeker, the director of corporate performance and operations at Health Authority Abu Dhabi, said: "Rehabilitation services for cardio, neuro and orthopaedic procedures are all areas in need of improvement.
"Psychiatry here is also very weak. It is difficult to attract highly qualified Arabic-speaking psychiatrists to this part of the world. There are not many globally.
"There are significantly higher rates of obsessive compulsive disorder, particularly among women in this region, than in Europe. There are also anxiety disorders and, due to inter-family marriages, there are also a number of issues with personality disorders and learning difficulties. There is plenty of scope for improvement."
Spinal surgery and paediatrics also need improving, but traditionally profitable fields such as cardiology and general orthopaedics are up to speed, experts said.
Dr Boeker also said that regular hospital inspections were required in Dubai to help drive up standards. Data collected over a two-year period from hospitals in Abu Dhabi helped give an accurate picture of the standard of health care, so it is clear where change is required, he said.
"One of the biggest things we did was to start inspecting rigorously in healthcare facilities," said Dr Boeker.
"Before then, most of the data was self reported by hospitals. It sent a signal through the health system that someone was looking. A culture change was much more important - it was then that hospitals in the private and public sector began to change."
Inspectors began looking at medical records and some facilities had to close as they were providing haphazard care.
The panel also discussed the problems created by an unhealthy lifestyle. Inactivity remained the biggest factor behind chronic lifestyle-related health conditions such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
"That is very significant," said Dr Boeker. "We try to promote a healthier lifestyle by leading people to the stairs in shopping malls, rather than the escalators, but we have not seen a big effect yet."
Dr Abdulghaffar Alhawi, a healthcare consultant, said lifestyle changes to improve health must be part of a long-term plan.
He said: "We need to see a change in schools from the beginning, and this means changing the food in canteens. If we change the habits, then we change the health, but it will take time."
nwebster@thenational.ae