Hub Healthcare: Medical Travel and Health Equity in the UAE

Author(s):  
Sarath Ganji

In 2010, the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) spent a quarter of its total healthcare budget to send its citizens abroad for medical treatment. These patients, consumers who cross international borders for the purpose of obtaining healthcare, are participants in a phase of globalization referred to as “medical travel” or “medical tourism.” Their movement coincides with the cross-border flow of health services, professionals, and companies, shaping a global industry valued at as much as U.S. $55 billion. In the years ahead, this industry is expected to grow—and, in doing so, to bring a greater number of national health systems in contact with international patients and providers. Bearing witness to these changes, the UAE has increasingly looked to medical travel—and attracting international patients—to improve its health system and to diversify its economy. These outcomes, however, overshadow the equity effects that may result from the influx of such patients, potentially crowding out local residents, especially expatriates, who may see little from these gains. This working paper provides evidence, based on the examples of Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, that medical travel presents the UAE with a mix of equity benefits and harms. To manage these harms, the paper recommends that local governments and healthcare providers incorporate monitoring and planning mechanisms into their medical travel initiatives.

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-36
Author(s):  
Young Kil Park ◽  
Seokwoo Lee

South Korea has taken steps to achieve the Aichi Target 11 and several pieces of South Korean legislation require the government to make every effort to protect the ocean from pollution and manage conservation consistently. However, protected area coverage is recognized to be well short of target and recent assessment reports reveal that most MPAs are not managed well. The reasons for mismanagement are complex: lack of budget, lack of understanding among local residents and communities, vague jurisdictional boundaries between the regional office of the central government and the local governments, shortage of experts, etc. Therefore, the immediate and primary task for the government is to establish more effective management systems rather than increase the number and areas of the MPAs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hallow Al-Talabani ◽  
Hasan Kilic ◽  
Ali Ozturen ◽  
Suhad Othman Qasim

Medical tourism provides an essential advantage for destinations. On the other hand, the knowledge of developing competitive medical tourism destinations is still limited. This study models a conceptual framework on novel ways of sustaining the United Arab Emirate (UAE) Vision 2020 with reference to the existing models on behavior. In the current study, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), which is health-related, along with the Finance, System and connection (FSC) model, is employed. Using an empirically based methodology, the data for the investigation is collected with the aid of a questionnaire. As such, the study employs finance, system, and connections variables which are commonly adopted in testing medical tourism development. The designed model incorporates these three important factors that have remained the focal points in the world of medical tourism. Hence, the result reveals empirical evidence suggesting that the finance, system, and the connection factors significantly foster the growth of tourist arrivals in Dubai. Moreover, it predicates that the significant improvement in the economy of Dubai administrative government is likely to be connected with the development of its medical infrastructure. Additionally, by employing the use of SMART PLS (partial least square) software package, the structural analysis tests, like model fit, further affirms the robustness of the results. In addition, the study presents policy implication for the stakeholders in the health sector, tourism sector, and the government.


Author(s):  
Anita Medhekar

Global medical travel has transformed medical travel/tourism facilitator's role, making it more sophisticated and globally competitive with their presence on the internet, and providing medical tourism packages catering to patient-centered healthcare needs. The important role played by medical tourism facilitators cannot be ignored along with rules and regulations required to accredit these medical travel companies. They act as mediators between the potential patients and the private healthcare providers, physicians in the global medical tourism supply chain, along with airlines and hotel, thus, reducing a medical traveler's worries regarding surgery abroad. Facilitators assist the potential medical tourists to plan and make healthcare decisions for travelling abroad, choosing and matching the patient with the specialty hospital for surgery, country and making all travel, accommodation and visa arrangements prior to travel, coordination between doctor and patient, personal nursing attendant, follow-up care and possibility of sightseeing, rest and recovery at the host-country of treatment. Thus, the chapter examines the reasons for the growth of global healthcare through medical travel/tourism in developing countries such as India, Thailand, Mexico, Poland and Malaysia and identifies the role, rules and regulations required for accredited medical tourism facilitators to connect patients with the healthcare providers in various countries to meet specific healthcare needs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 00038
Author(s):  
Resha Ayu Putri Belinawati ◽  
Tri Edhi Budhi Soesilo ◽  
Donna Asteria ◽  
Riza Harmain

Citarum River is one of the most polluted river in the word. The pollution is not only derived from plant waste, but also household waste to livestock. West Java Government has a policy to handle Citarum problems, called Citarum Bestari Program. Citarum Bestari expected to solve pollution problems in Citarum River. This paper seeks to attempt the position of the West Java Government policy in the face of SDGs, particularly in this research will using qualitative methods, which is supported by the concept of David Easton political system. The author would like to see any input that may affect the policy-making in the local government with a political ecology approach. Support and demand for local governments of West Java is quite a lot already, not only from the international community but also among local residents and NGOs. This happens because many environmental impacts that occurred lately, such as flooding. Pollution that occurred along the Citarum River should be of particular concern for the Government of West Java, takes a neutral policy and strict supervision. Not only policies that benefit one of the parties (producers) but also to the other party (the environment and society).


Author(s):  
Farooq Haq ◽  
Anita Medhekar

Medical tourism is a growing phenomenon in the Middle East. Dubai is strategically located to competitively attract patients from Islamic backgrounds given the cultural congruence with the Middle Eastern countries for medical tourism. Dubai is famous for its shopping, sightseeing, desert safaris, state-of-the art tourism facilities, and as a melting pot for Eastern and Western civilizations. The government of United Arab Emirates is playing a key role to support the development of Dubai as a medical tourism hub of the Middle East and diversify the oil-based economy in an innovative way. It is developing various niche tourism products and services embedded in the non-oil sectors of the economy by applying the five strategic indicators required to study the role of governments in planning and supporting sustainable tourism.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 142
Author(s):  
Saiful Kholik ◽  
Imas Khaeriyah

Inconsistency Regional Regulation No.14 of 2006 about marine conservation area of the island of Biawak, Gososng, which Cendekian provides protection but in fact failed to provide protection as evidenced by dredging island sandbar and cendekian conducted PT.Pertamina UP VI Balongan INDRAMAYU. The problem in this research How Formulation Policy Act No. 10 Year 2009 on the Indonesian Tourism with the Indramayu Regional Regulation No. 14 of 2006 regarding marine conservation area of the island of Biawak, Gososng, Cendekian And How Harmonization Act No. 10 of 2009 with the Indramayu Regional Regulation No. 14 of 2006 regarding formulation Act No. 10 Year 2009 on the Indonesian Tourism with the Indramayu Regional Regulation No. 14 of 2006 about marine conservation area of the island of Biawak, Gososng, Cendekian, the purpose of this research to understand and analyze the extent to which policy The findings of the community or field of law local governments about the environmental damage done by companies or individuals are not equal accordance with regional regulations in force, nor the Law in force so that the function of law in society indramayu not fit the mandate to establish a change and justice based Formulation public corporate criminal liability.Inskonsitensi happens to local regulation No.14 of 2006 makes no harmonized with the regulations of each other so that the impact of this inskonsistensi makes the sector particularly environmental law enforcement get uncertainties that result in coastal communities Indramayau.Conclusion Harmonization of regulations of the center and regions delivering the policy formulation of the rule of law area to comply with the regulations above in order to avoid inconsistency, the occurrence of this inconsistency resulted in the rule of law and justice for the indramayu, suggestion that the government should was nearly revise regulations related area, especially the government must dare to take action to give effect to the perpetrator deterrent effect rule-based running as well as possible.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Nuah Perdamenta Tarigan ◽  
Christian Siregar ◽  
Simon Mangatur Tampubolon

Justice that has not existed and is apparent among the disabilities in Indonesia is very large and spread in the archipelago is very large, making the issue of equality is a very important thing especially with the publication of the Disability Act No. 8 of 2016 at the beginning of that year. Only a few provinces that understand properly and well on open and potential issues and issues will affect other areas including the increasingly growing number of elderly people in Indonesia due to the increasing welfare of the people. The government of DKI Jakarta, including the most concerned with disability, from the beginning has set a bold step to defend things related to disability, including local governments in Solo, Bali, Makassar and several other areas. Leprosy belonging to the disability community has a very tough marginalization, the disability that arises from leprosy quite a lot, reaches ten percent more and covers the poor areas of Indonesia, such as Nusa Tenggara Timur, Papua, South Sulawesi Provinces and even East Java and West Java and Central Java Provinces. If we compare again with the ASEAN countries we also do not miss the moment in ratifying the CRPD (Convention of Rights for People with Disability) into the Law of Disability No. 8 of 2016 which, although already published but still get rejections in some sections because do not provide proper empowerment and rights equality. The struggle is long and must be continued to build equal rights in all areas, not only health and welfare but also in the right of the right to receive continuous inclusive education.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Vivas ◽  
M Duarte ◽  
A Pitta ◽  
B Christovam

Abstract Background The government investments in quality primary healthcare are the basis to strengthening the health systems and monitoring the public expenditure in this area is a way to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the public health policies. The Brazil Ministry of Health changed, in 2017, the method of onlending federal resources to states and cities seeking to make the public funds management more flexible. This change, however, suppressed mandatory investments in primary healthcare. This research aims to determine the difference of expenditures on primary healthcare in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil metropolitan area before and after this funding reform, seeking to verify how it can impact the quality of primary healthcare services and programs. Methods This is an ecological time-series study that used data obtained in the Brazil Ministry of Health budget reports. The median and interquartile range of expenditures on primary healthcare (set as the percentage of total public health budget applied in primary care services and programs) of the 13 cities in the Salvador metropolitan area were compared two years before and after the reform. Results The median of expenditures on primary healthcare in Salvador metropolitan area was 25.5% (13,9% - 32,2%) of total public health budget before and 24.8% (20.8% - 30.0%) of total public health budget after the reform (-0.7% difference). Seven cities decreased the expenditures on primary healthcare after the reform, ranging from 1.2% to 10.8% reduction in the primary healthcare budget in five years. Conclusions Expenditures on primary healthcare in Salvador metropolitan area decreased after the 2017 funding reform. Seven of 13 cities reduced the government investments on primary healthcare services and programs in this scenario. Although the overall difference was -0.7%, the budget cuts ranged from 1.2% to 10.8% in the analyzed period and sample. More studies should assess these events in wide areas and with long time ranges. Key messages Public health funding models can impact the primary healthcare settings regardless of the health policy. Reforms in the funding models should consider the possible benefits before implementation. Funding models and methods that require mandatory investments in primary healthcare may be considered over more flexible ones.


Author(s):  
Zhiru Guo ◽  
Chao Lu

This article selects the listed companies in China’s A-share heavy pollution industry from 2014 to 2018 as samples, uses a random effect model to empirically test the relationship between media attention and corporate environmental performance and examines the impacts of local government environmental protection and property nature on that relationship. Results are as follow: (1) Media attention can significantly affect a company’s environmental performance. The higher the media attention, the greater the company’s supervision and the better its environmental performance. (2) In areas where the government pays less attention to environmental protection, the impact of media on corporate environmental performance is more obvious, but in other areas, the impact of media on environmental performance cannot be reflected; (3) The media attention is very significant for the environmental performance improvement of state-owned enterprises, and it is not obvious in non-state-owned enterprises. (4) A further breakdown of the study found that the role of media attention in corporate environmental performance is only significant in the sample of local governments that have low environmental protection and are state-owned enterprises. This research incorporates the local government’s emphasis on environmental protection into the research field of vision, expands the research scope of media and corporate environmental performance, and also provides new clues and evidence for promoting the active fulfillment of environmental protection responsibilities by companies and local governments.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gbemi Oladipo Olaore ◽  
Bimbo Onaolapo Adejare ◽  
Ekpenyong Ekpenyong Udofia

Purpose Betting games have become a global industry worth billions of dollars providing employment to millions and contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP) of several countries. While there are debates and controversies surrounding betting games discourse, a growing body of literature shows that it has been exacerbated by growing unemployment rates. This paper aims to examine the nexus between the increasing involvement of youth in betting games and unemployment from the Nigerian perspective. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts simple random and stratified sampling techniques to select participants for the study. Three hypotheses were tested for this study and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. Findings The three hypotheses tested in this study were coined from previous literature. The study established a direct link between technology advancement, promises of winning big coupled with bonuses while unemployment was not significant to youth involvement in betting games. The study also showed that playing betting games provides another source of income to the youth, who are already engaged in one form of work or another. Finally, youth involvement in betting games has created awareness regarding different sports in the world, while contributing to Nigeria’s economy. Practical implications As betting games centre as a business in Nigeria has contributed substantially and positively to unemployment in Nigeria; the Government of Nigeria are encouraged to streamline and regulate the activities of the sector such that they can contribute significantly to the country GDP and provide employment opportunities to the youths. Originality/value The research shows that the reason why betting games have a massive turnaround of youths in Nigeria is not majorly because of unemployment but as another means to a substantial financial individual/family income. Thus, Nigerian youths see betting games as an avenue to make more money. The study is the first of its kind to examine the nexus between betting games, technology and unemployment hence, its contribution to knowledge.


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