- More than 70 babies have been taken care of in Aster Hospital NICU since its inception in February 2015.
- Medical Director at Aster Hospital,Dr. Ramanathan Venkiteswaran, who spent 17 years working in the UK for NHS hospitals praises the vision of the UAE authorities.
DUBAI, September, 2015: With the surge in population over the past years, Dubai has seen an increase in demand for advanced medical care facilities. In addition to this the growing number of new families in the UAE means that the uptake in the number of people looking for advanced medical care for neonates is also increasing.
Therefore, it is understandable that the vision to roll out healthcare coverage for premature babies under basic insurance up to AED150,000, will bring relief to the many people seeking advanced medical care.
Since its inauguration in February 2015 Aster Hospital has seen 75 babies taken care of in its state-of-the-art NICU. The tertiary care unit has 8 beds that can provide comprehensive care to premature babies born under 32 weeks of gestation. Positioned as one of the leading centres for neonatal intensive care in the UAE, it expects the number of cases to only grow in the coming future with the introduction of health coverage for premature births.
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) foresees healthcare costs for consumers lowering in the future as it rolls out the mandatory health insurance throughout the Emirate. Aster Hospital was launched earlier this year in line with this vision and Dr. Azad Moopen, Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare, said that Dubai was poised for exponential growth in this sector: “With medical insurance set to be mandatory for all in Dubai by 2016, we expect patients to have their treatments locally rather than go home for treatment.”
Medical Director and Head of NICU at Aster Hospital, Dr. Ramanathan Venkiteswaran who has 17 years of experience as a Consultant Pediatrician within the United Kingdom NHS, cites that the progressive vision of the authorities and the plans set in place would position the UAE as the leading destination for healthcare in the region. He stated, “With the amount of talent coming in to the region, we are well positioned to bring advanced healthcare to countries in the MENASA region.”
The inclusion of mandatory cover for premature births for basic insurance comes as a relief for the many families in Dubai as affordable private healthcare comes closer to realisation through initiatives taken up by the Dubai Health Authority.
To add to this, a number of medical facilities have sprung up to cover up the shortfall in the medical sub-specialities previously available here in the Emirate. With increasing foreign medical talent also being attracted to the UAE, the healthcare sector is poised for continuous strong growth in the coming years.
