Health Care in United Arab Emirates: An Introduction
The health service in United Arab Emirates (UAE) is largely funded by the government of the day in spite of the significant contribution made by the private health care sector (Ali, 2010). UAE has made major strides in the growth and development of health care services courtesy of the heavy monetary and human resource investment by the government.
In fact, one of the recent reports by the United Nations department on Human Development reveals that UAE is the top 43rd best country in terms of advances in health care out of the 174 countries that were ranked in the survey of developing countries.
In retrospect, it is imperative to note that the United Arab Emirates health care system used to be rather pathetic but the status has transformed over time. Major progress has been made in the development of human health and healthcare sector in general (Ali, 2010).
Owing to the realization that the citizens of United Arab Emirates are the most important asset owned by the country, the government has for the last three decades embarked on healthcare strategies that are more beneficial to its citizens. The current health program in UAE has been designed in such a way that it addresses the emphatic need for attaining decent health for all and sundry.
This is also in line with the global objectives for universal healthcare for people from all walks in life. Consequently, new programs such as “Doctor Match” are coming into being as part of the process of not only improving the status of the current healthcare provision in UAE, but also creating broad awareness to all citizens and foreigners on how best they can maintain a healthy environment.
To this end, there are regions being targeted in order to establish the new business. Moreover, there are other stakeholders derived from both the healthcare sectors as well as interested parties who will boost the “Doctor Match” program.
Ministry of Health in UAE
It is equally vital to reiterate the commitment put forth by the Ministry of Health in United Arab Emirates. As a direct agent of the government on matters of health, the ministry has laid out plans that will ease the process of accessing healthcare services as well as tailor made medical programs suitable for certain target groups. Achieving such an ambitious objective may not be a walk in the park (Ali, 2010).
As a result, the Ministry of Health is already working out modalities of expanding the long term healthcare plans that were adopted sometimes back. The current programs and health care policies are being reviewed by the ministry with long term objectives in mind. Indeed, this is a big merit for “Doctor Match” bearing in mind that the cooperation with the Ministry of Health will hasten the process of attaining our set goals and objectives.
Besides, the ministry will act as a very powerful tool in offering guidance and moral support in achieving the broad goals ahead of us. Our focal point of interest is in giving a new meaning to health in United Arab Emirates.
As a vibrant program, Doctor Match has a wider clientele base. Firstly, there are health care institutions such as clinics and hospitals that will form a formidable part of our operations.
In addition, there are individual based clients like patients and healthcare professionals such as doctors and nursing fraternity who are remarkable customers to Doctor Match. Due to this large customer base, we will definitely be in a vantage position to reach our potential and most valued buyers.
Better still, our brand identity will be acknowledged and appreciated within a short span of time.
A critical look at the health care services that are already being offered by the Ministry of Health in UAE reveals a lot more than is actually known.
The ministry has adequately reached out for both the rural and urban communities in its broad web of health services. This implies that there is a complete chain of health care facilities that are operational. Furthermore, there is reputable evidence of several health centers that are offering advanced medical services.
Moreover, there are myriad of parallel programs that have been launched to create and improve awareness of the wider UAE society. For instance, the community is being enlightened on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle as part and parcel of maintaining a healthy record.
The Ministry of Health in partnership with other stakeholders in healthcare services has conducted multiple research and Development. One important conclusion by the ministry is that there quite a number of lifestyle diseases like cancer and diabetes that could be avoided if the population was more keen on their diet.
Security & Privacy
As with most online businesses, matters of security and privacy are paramount and cannot be ignored. For example, nearly all of online businesses will often request the credit card details of clients when making payments. Unfortunately, there are customers who are not contended with this requirement since they are not sure if the details of their credit cards will be divulged or accessed by a third party to the detriment of their safety.
Owing to this serious concern, Doctor Match assures its clients that the viewing of their credit card details will be done only when necessary and by an authorized company official. Hence, clients should allay any fears surrounding the safety and privacy of the contents of their credit cards. Users have been assured by Doctor Match that none of the fraud cases in the use of credit cards will befall them and that they should feel safe to use it when making their payments.
There are different varieties of credit cards issued by Doctor Match in order to meet the tastes and preferences of their customers. To supplement the use of credit cards, clients can also submit payments using PayPal (Doctor Match, 2010). It is upon customers to choose the best mode of payment they prefer.
Online information concerning the rating of doctors is yet another cause of concern for users.
They do not readily trust such data. Indeed, there are patients who may skeptical on the overall ratings of our site. They may perhaps think that Doctor Match interferes with the ratings as primarily given by patients. For this reason, Doctor Match pledges its customers that none of the ratings will ever be altered regardless of the circumstances.
Since Doctor Health is basically concerned with health matters, it will always endeavor to develop a healthy environment in order to upgrade and improve the wellness of the wider community (Doctor Match, 2010).
Patients may still be concerned the privacy of their personal informational that are being used online such medical records and contact details.
However, Doctor Match treats the profile of each patient as confidentially as possible. Should there be nee to share any information regarding a particular patient, an approval is first sought from the affected party. Hence, although Doctor Match has access to all the patient records, keeping the privacy of such records is a core ethical practice of the business. It is upon clients to choose who they would like certain pertinent information with, not Doctor Match. Hence, clients have the control to choose who can browse their profiles.
Over and above these aforementioned measures taken and guarantees on privacy and security, Doctor Match has additional package for security and privacy. For instance, the company works with clients who are between the ages of 21 and 55 (Doctor Match, 2010). This is meant to ensure that the credit cards held by clients are valid in terms of the details such as names. Furthermore, an Emirate ID or a license number is required by Doctor Match as part of verifying important card details.
In recap, Doctor Match has the following pledges for its dedicated users: Confidentiality, secure modes of payment, valid sources on their World Wide Web and identification number for purposes of validation.
SWOT analysis for Doctor Match
Strengths:
- We enjoy sponsorship from the health ministry
- Variety of information for clients
- Outstanding selling strategy due to unique services provided
- It is a rare system in health sector
Weaknesses:
- Insufficient financial resources
- High initial operating cost such as hosting a website
- Lack of familiarity with the market
- Management challenges
Opportunities:
- Large customer base
- Improved awareness of health in the region
- Willingness by the government to lend support
- Advanced technological platform
Threats:
- Stiff market competition
- Customers may respond negatively to the new initiative of seeking doctors
References
Ali, H.H. (2010, December 31). Healthy people in Health promoted environment. Web.
Doctor Match (2010, December 31).Responses from Doctor Match to you. Web.