United Arab Emirates: #27 in the 2024 World Index of Healthcare Innovation

Introduction

The United Arab Emirates is ranked 26th in the 2024 World Index of Healthcare Innovation, a decline from its 19th position in 2022. It excels in Fiscal Sustainability, securing the 2nd place due to its low debt-to-GDP ratio of 29.5 percent and modest public spending growth. However, the UAE’s diverse healthcare system faces challenges, ranking 30th in both Choice and Quality, and 26th in Science and Technology, despite significant efforts to draw foreign medical investment.

The performance of healthcare varies significantly within the UAE. In the affluent and global cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, healthcare standards are notably high. In contrast, the more remote areas lag behind. Notably, the UAE leads in health IT adoption and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it struggles in several other categories of the index.

Background

The United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven emirates—Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al-Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah—continues to excel in regional health innovation. Since its independence from Britain in 1971, the UAE has undergone substantial development in healthcare, driven by both governmental initiatives and private investments. Notably, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah represent over 96 percent of the national population and lead in healthcare services and innovation.

The UAE’s healthcare system integrates public and private sector solutions to cater to its diverse population. Dubai’s healthcare sector is highly competitive with over 35 hospitals, including several affiliates of prestigious Western medical institutions. The emirate has achieved a 100 percent insurance coverage rate among its residents through mandatory single-payer health insurance for UAE citizens, whereas expatriates from other countries must secure private health insurance.

Abu Dhabi provides a primarily government-funded health system where public spending accounted for approximately 77 percent of total healthcare expenditure in the last year. Foreign expatriates and their families in Abu Dhabi are obliged to have private health insurance, ensuring broad access to healthcare services.

In the pursuit of healthcare excellence, the UAE has increasingly invested in digital health and AI technologies. The implementation of AI has led to improvements in diagnostic accuracy, patient care management, and surgical precision through robotic assistance. The UAE’s robust healthcare infrastructure and its embrace of cutting-edge technologies continue to bolster its status as a destination for medical tourism, drawing patients globally for advanced treatments. In 2023 alone, medical tourism contributed to approximately 3.8 percent of the national GDP, underscoring its economic as well as medical significance. That said, the quality care provided to medical tourists does not appear to trickle down to residents and expatriates, given the nation’s poor performance on care quality in the Index.

Dimension Performance

Quality

The UAE is ranked 30th overall in quality of care. It ranked 29th in disease prevention; while it achieves among the highest rates of cancer survival in the Index, it struggles against cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Specifically, it holds the 24th position for healthcare infrastructure and is ranked 32nd in patient-centered care. Additionally, the UAE is placed 31st in pandemic preparedness and response; though it had the best scores related specifically to COVID response, UAE is ill-prepared to address pandemics that involve different pathogens or circumstances.

Choice

The UAE ranked last in the Index for Choice (32nd). It scored poorly for affordability of health coverage (29th), including the highest percentage of uninsured. It also ranked near the bottom of the Index in access to new treatments (31st), due to not only to few new drugs available in a timely manner, but also in generic drug market share. The country performed relatively better on the measure freedom to choose healthcare services (20th), almost entirely because of completely free choice of primary care providers and specialists alike.

Science & Technology

The UAE holds the 26th position overall in Science & Technology, influenced by its rankings of 31st in scientific discoveries and 28th in medical advances. However, it stands out prominently in health digitization, where it is ranked 1st in the Index. This highlights the nation’s strong commitment to integrating technology within the healthcare sector, as well as the high degree of broadband use among its populace.

Fiscal Sustainability

The UAE excelled in Fiscal Sustainability, achieving a second-place ranking overall, bolstered by a top ranking in national solvency with a debt-to-GDP ratio of just 19.7 percent and a large population of young workers that can provide financial resources to treat the old and sick. Although public health spending as a share of GDP is relatively low, placing 8th, due to the ongoing development of the country’s health infrastructure, it is increasing rapidly. This growth in public healthcare spending positioned the UAE 27th in that measure.