MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
The Dubai Health Statistical Yearbook 2022, recently issued by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), noted a “significant” improvement in the performance of the health system in Dubai. In 2022, there were 11,890 doctors in Dubai, marking a 10.2% increase compared to the year before, according to the report, which showed that the rate of doctors per 1,000 people increased from 3.10 in 2021 to 3.35 in 2022.
It also showed that the rate of dentists per 1,000 people increased from 0.87 in 2021 to 1.02 in 2022, while the rate of nurses per 1,000 people increased from 5.72 in 2021 to 6.11 in 2022. Hospital beds occupancy rate, which is used as a measure of hospitals’ ability to operate safely and effectively, “significantly” decreased in Dubai from 52.99% in 2021 to 44.73% in 2022 due to the increase in the number of new beds, the report stated.
The “optimal” bed occupancy rate is 75%, according to the report, which indicates “the capacity of hospitals in Dubai to accommodate a larger number of patients”. The DHA report further noted that the turnover rate of hospital beds in the emirate decreased from 61.64 in 2021 to 57.10 in 2022, which “confirms the ability of hospitals to operate safely and employ beds effectively”.
The annual hospital discharge rate decreased from 11,376 per 100,000 people in 2021 to 10,430 per 100,000 people in 2022. As a result of this, the average hospital care days decreased from 356.97 days per 1,000 people in 2021 to 298.24 days per 1,000 people in 2022, according to the report.
These figures indicate the “efficiency” of the health system in Dubai, the report said.
Emiratisation
Dubai’s health sector workforce reached 72,569 employees in 2022, compared to 53,751 employees in 2021, marking an increase of 18,818 to meet Dubai’s population growth and subsequent increase in healthcare demand.
There were 8,745 Emirati employees in Dubai’s health sector in 2022, a 104.3% increase compared to 2021. These figures indicate that Emiratisation efforts in the health sector in Dubai are proceeding at an “accelerated” pace.