Demographics
The capital of the UAE is a developed and progressive world center where a large number of economic, political, and other forces are concentrated. Nevertheless, like any other metropolis, it has some problems related to the social sector. To discuss the social needs of Dubai, it is required to bring the demographics of this city and determine its key indicators. To do it, official statistics will be required, and such indicators as gender, race, age, income, education, health, and employment will be considered.
According to the Dubai Statistics Center (2017), the total population of Dubai in 2017 was 2,976,455. The predominant number was the male population (2,088,870), and women were in the minority (887,585) (Dubai Statistics Center, 2017). As statistics shows, 43,3% are Indian, which is the majority, 23% – Emirati, 17% – Pakistani, and the rest are represented by different nationalities – American, Bangladeshi, and the representatives of other countries (Dubai Statistics Center, 2017).
According to current income statistics, the average AED is 139,393 (“Average salary in Dubai,” 2018). When analyzing the sphere of education, based on the reports of 2016-2017, 29,597 people were included in state institutions, and 273,599 were trained in private educational establishments (Dubai Statistics Center, 2017). The labor market in Dubai is quite dense. According to the statistics of 2017, 65,4% of men over 15 years were a workforce inside the city, and 97,4% of them were employed (Dubai Statistics Center, 2017). Women were 37,4% of the total group, and 95,1% of them had a regular job, while only 4,9% were unemployed (Dubai Statistics Center, 2017).
According to the medical indicators of 2016, 141,076 residents of the city sought help from local specialty clinics (Dubai Statistics Center, 2017). This indicator is not too large in comparison with some other megacities. However, disease statistics are quite dangerous, and it is the healthcare sector that deserves particular attention. The spread of certain diseases among the population requires the search for special strategies, and this work is a priority.
Social Needs in Dubai and Their Shortcomings
Categories of Social Needs
Despite the rapid economic growth, some social problems in Dubai exist. Those typical issues that are often relevant in different large cities also appear here. For instance, the healthcare sector is the area where constant innovations and novelties are offered. However, some ailments deserve special attention, in particular, cardiovascular diseases and all those that are related to cardiac surgery. Certainly, some social difficulties may arise among the elderly population. The representatives of this group cannot always take care of themselves comprehensively. However, as Khan, Shehnaz, Guruswami, Ibrahim, and Mustafa (2017) note, older adults in the UAE have a relatively high level of knowledge about this issue, which makes it possible to introduce appropriate preventive practices.
In the field of transport, problems usually do not arise since the government of Dubai makes efforts to equip the city with novelties and techniques and to provide citizens with an opportunity to move around the city freely and comfortably. Another topic that may be associated with many potential difficulties is the well-being of people with disabilities. Nevertheless, active work is done in this direction and, according to Crompton (2017), the government of Dubai does everything possible to provide this category of the population with all available amenities, creating a special assistance program. Therefore, of all the social spheres, the healthcare sector can have the highest priority for interventions.
Healthcare Needs
The healthcare sector in Dubai has rather good equipment with a technical base and has a sufficient number of highly qualified specialists. However, despite the development of medicine, some pressing issues continue to manifest themselves, and some groups of the population are at risk. In particular, the problem of cardiovascular diseases is significant, and special attention should be paid to this challenge because of its relevance.
Existing Problems
The problem of heart diseases and, as a consequence, the urgency of cardiac surgery in Dubai is confirmed by official statistics. According to the data of 2016, 28,210 cases of citizens’ appeals to specialty clinics were registered (“Patients at government hospitals,” 2018). These statistics are alarming while taking into account the fact that not only older adults but also younger citizens, including children, experience such health problems. Today, when there are many available ways to combat this issue, cardiovascular diseases continue to pose a threat to the residents of Dubai. Therefore, despite several other urgent healthcare issues, this area is one of the priorities and requires interventions from competent boards.
Participation of Existing Organizations
Existing healthcare organizations certainly concern about the statistics presented and strive to do everything possible to reduce the percentage of patients. It is noted that women are more prone to heart diseases, and many patients experience additional complications caused by such health problems – diabetes, anemia, and other ailments (Saheb Sharif-Askari et al., 2014). All these factors explain the need to search for effective intervention strategies and use all possible resources to correct the current situation.
Accordingly, work connected with the help of the population is also oriented towards the elimination of concomitant diseases developing due to heart problems. The activity of cardiologists and surgeons in this direction involves the use of modern methods of treatment and the latest diagnostic technologies. Nevertheless, as practice shows, the number of patients is increasing, which explains the need to find new ways of protecting the population and proves the insufficient effectiveness of existing techniques. Some shortcomings are manifested, which hurt the overall statistics and are a good reason to work as hard as possible in this direction.
Healthcare Shortcomings
Despite the efforts of health professionals, some shortcomings and gaps may manifest. Not all patients can have free access to surgery if necessary since queues caused by many people in need slow the care delivery process. Moreover, when analyzing the number of patients, it is possible to see that the figure is increasing every year, which indicates that preventive work is not effective enough. If the representatives of healthcare institutions, nursing communities, and other competent associations paid more attention to this health problem, perhaps the number of cases of heart disease would be less than today. Therefore, addressing the lack of an important prevention policy at the state level and involving healthcare professionals in working with the population is necessary, otherwise, patient outcomes will be even more dangerous.
Improving the Existing Gap
To improve the existing gap and eliminate the negative consequences of the health problem described, the assistance of a competent and responsible organization is required. In particular, a business enterprise specializing in improving the well-being of citizens can provide all possible assistance to patients. Experience shows that the qualification of Arab surgeons is high, and their skill is in demand. They have sufficient attainments to help those in need not only within Dubai but also in other regions. Thus, more than a hundred children received free heart operations in Mumbai due to the initiative of the Arab authorities (“Dubai doctors conduct free heart surgeries,” 2018).
This organization can cooperate with various well-known personalities, which can be a good incentive to attract attention to the issue under consideration. For example, Steven (2017) cites an interview with Her Royal Highness Princess Haya bint Al Hussein who is known for her charity work and willingness to help people. Such individuals can become part of the program to disseminate information on preventive measures, and a large number of people may obtain essential information about the need to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. In case this initiative is implemented, substantial assistance to the population will be provided.
Conclusion
The enterprise under consideration has enough advantages. For instance, based on the proposed methods to combat heart problems, the number of patients with complaints may decrease. Financing appropriate activities to maintain a consistently high interest of doctors and nurses in assisting the population will certainly help to strengthen a positive opinion regarding the local healthcare system. However, despite such advantages as, for example, meetings and regular educational activities for the population, some shortcomings of the enterprise can still manifest themselves. Social work is an area that often does not have stable high budget funding. Therefore, it is essential to search for the means to help people, which, however, can slow down the course of work. Nevertheless, even in case of gradual development, this enterprise will be able to provide at least a partial solution to the local need. If the sources of profit are constant, the organization will be successful in business and will be able to realize all the goals set.
References
Average salary in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (2018). Web.
Crompton, P. (2017). Dubai aims to be disabled-friendly by 2020.Gulf News. Web.
Dubai doctors conduct free heart surgeries for over 100 children in Mumbai. (2018). Gulf News. Web.
Dubai Statistics Center. (2017). Web.
Khan, N. S., Shehnaz, S. I., Guruswami, G. K., Ibrahim, S. A. M., & Mustafa, S. A. J. (2017). Knowledge of warning signs, presenting symptoms and risk factors of coronary heart disease among the population of Dubai and Northern Emirates in UAE: A cross-sectional study. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology, 7(2), 670-680.
Patients at government hospitals (out/ in) by specialty – Emirate of Dubai. (2016). Web.
Saheb Sharif-Askari, N., Syed Sulaiman, S. A., Saheb Sharif-Askari, F., Al Sayed Hussain, A., Tabatabai, S., & Abdullatif Al-Mulla, A. (2014). Hospitalized heart failure patients with preserved vs. reduced ejection fraction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: A prospective study. European journal of heart failure, 16(4), 454-460.
Steven, L. (2017). ‘I am far from perfect’: Princess Haya opens up in rare interview.Emirates Woman. Web.