Dubai: Thumbay Medical & Health Tourism Department and SNTTA signed a MoU to give a fillip to medical and health tourism in the country.
“Dubai has a well-deserved reputation for excellence and professional practice and we want to contribute our mite to the vision, mission and goals of the UAE health authorities”, said Akbar Moideen Thumbay, Director of Healthcare and Retail, Thumbay Group UAE.
There are so many issues relating to medical tourism, and because the area is developing so quickly it is becoming essential for hospitals, insurers and policy makers, to name a few, to work closely to streamline processes to cater to this market. UAE has tremendous potential to come up as the most important medical-tourism destination for the people of this region, he added.
Founder President of Thumbay Group UAE, Thumbay Moideen and General Manager of SNTTA T.L.S Iyer, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to offer advanced services for medical and health tourists. Director Healthcare and Retail, Akbar Moideen Thumbay, Thumbay Group UAE, Director Thumbay International Medical and Health Tourism Department, Dr. Benazir Ameer Ali, Group General Manager (Finance & Administration) Valsala Kumar and General Manager SNTTA Vishal Sood, were present at the occasion.
Thumbay Hospitals and SNTTA have strategically partnered to assist and offer world-class services at affordable prices to International patients and guests and to look after all their needs whilst in the UAE. “We understand the changing dynamics medical tourism and we are learning to adapt”, says Dr. Benazir Ameer Ali, Director Thumbay Medical & Health Tourism Department.
The partnership will help Thumbay Hospital’s to extend its reach and market worldwide to prospective patients. This partnership will leave Thumbay Hospitals to concentrate on its commitment of providing world class healthcare at affordable prices. SNTTA will look after the travel, accommodation and other logistics for Thumbay Hospital’s International patients and increase their client base which is a win-win situation for both and create an all-inclusive package for International patients including Air flights, Hotel accommodations, Visa and Excursion facilities.
“SNTTA will be venturing in Medical Tourism for the first time and will be able to offer healthcare services to its ever growing number of tourists”, said T.L.S Iyer, General Manager of SNTTA. SNTTA tourists will now have a preferred healthcare provider in Thumbay Hospitals to take care of their tourists 24X7 in the UAE.
“As a part of the strategic plans, Thumbay Group is planning to open representative offices in 20 countries to educate people about medical facilities and services at all Thumbay Hospitals in UAE. We expect to have about 1000 patients as medical tourists per day in the next 5 – 6 years. It is ambitious but achievable”, says an optimistic Akbar Moideen Thumbay.
Medical Tourism is now perceived as one of the fastest growing segment in healthcare. The recent trend is for patients to travel from developed countries to third world countries for medical treatment because of cost consideration, waiting time, privacy, and confidentiality, though the traditional pattern still continues. Technology will lead the way in future Medical Tourism. Along with that we can expect extremely personalized services, niche specialist centers, wider network of partnerships, increased number of accreditation, certifications and industry specific associations said Dr. Benazir. To offer our personalized services, we are the first medical tourism provider to have opened a counter in Sharjah International Airport and we are planning to open one in Dubai International Airport soon, she added.
Thumbay Hospitals have been at the forefront of developing the necessary infrastructure to attract medical tourists. We have a department here establishing this, Akbar Moideen said.
The International Medical Tourism department of Thumbay Hospitals aims to cater to an extensive number of patients and be known as the preferred hospital for medical tourism in UAE. Currently, Thumbay Hospitals receive inquiries from a wide range of clientele including hospitals, medical practitioners, partnered agents, and various inquiry forwarding websites from across the globe.
Thumbay Hospitals is aligning itself with the Dubai’s Vision 2020 for Medical Tourism. Along with Dubai, the other Emirates of UAE are gearing up to attract more medical tourists in the near future. This would mean increasing patient requirements, higher demand for facilities and larger calls for personalization.
Looking at the current and future trends in Medical Tourism, Thumbay hospital has developed enhanced facilities, maintaining highest standards of quality and offering packages with a wide range of personalization options. The medical tourism industry is going through an exciting phase where international and intra-regional activities are taking place within this sector of the health market.
