It is encouraging that Dubai is on track to achieve its target of attracting half a million medical tourists this year. The emirate is now a full five years ahead of schedule for the number of patients it treats from overseas, as well as from within the UAE. In the first half of this year alone, 16 hospitals provided treatment for 256,097 medical tourists.

Globally, this is an expanding field that has been a boon to the economies of countries as diverse as Thailand and the United States. Local growth in this sector is important because it bolsters our national strategy to strengthen our knowledge economy. But the benefits also extend far beyond hospital beds and the provision of critical care.

Growth in the knowledge economy | The National