Growing interest in UAE’s medical tourism sector from African patients: CSH

Canadian Specialist Hospital (CSH) stated that African patients are considering UAE as one of the most friendly medical tourism destinations over other countries. The hospital also plans to expand operations into Africa after conducting a thorough feasibility study in the coming months and will aim at expanding its operation into Africa. Recently, the Angolan ambassador to the UAE Dr. José Andrade de Lemos visited CSH to explore opportunities of building a hospital and bringing UAE’s medical excellence to Angola.

“Our current healthcare system is improving; however, much more needs to be done. There are several people who live in Angola in need of basic healthcare facilities. That is why many people have to travel overseas to countries like Namibia, South Africa and Portugal for advanced treatment. During those journeys, many lives are lost. These lives could have been saved through establishment of hospitals and bringing specialized doctors in the country. By establishing more specialized hospitals in Angola, we will be able to help thousands of people,” said Lemos. 

“We are rebuilding our nation to support our citizens. Many people have lost their lives and several others are still at hospitals needing good quality medical attention,” the Ambassador added.

“CSH will embark on its feasibility studies and we will assess all possibilities of establishing our presence in Angola. We will do everything possible to improve the living conditions of people in Angola.  Our team will be visiting the country in October to further understand the system, the available infrastructure, location and availability of the local healthcare professionals and several other parameters to get more clarity in our thought process,” said Dr. Haider Al Zubaidy, CEO of Canadian Specialist Hospital.

“Hospitals are the only means of survival for the people in Angola and we hope to add value to the citizens of the country in the near future. We cannot copy the system in UAE there in Angola.  The dynamics are completely different and we are looking at all the aspects including the country’s insurance system,” added Dr. Haider. 

“There has been a lot of imbalance in healthcare sector because of the long lasting war. There is a big need for doctors because majority of the latter are concentrated in the capital and the number of patients admitted in the hospitals is too much for our doctors to handle. The Angolan government has started on a big way and initiated various programs to reinforce the capacity of health systems to deliver quality health services. However, the need for more specialized hospitals and healthcare professionals is the need of the hour. Angolan government is open to foreign initiatives by international entities such as the Canadian Specialist Hospital to establish their presence in Angola,” concluded the Ambassador.

In addition to serving African, European, Arab and Asian patients, CSH also works with the governments of United States of America, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Russia and takes care of their patients’ requirements in the UAE. CSH is now an active member of the Dubai Medical Tourism (DMT) Club. As part of this esteemed club, CSH will bring together healthcare facilities of the DMT program and thereby create an environment to share experiences and promote Dubai as a Medical Tourism hub. CSH has been at the forefront of medical tourism since 2006. 

The hospital has been reaccredited by Joint Commission International (JCI), the world’s largest healthcare accreditor, in recognition of the hospital’s continuing commitment to patient safety, quality and ethical practices.