IntroductionThe fragmented nature of the healthcare systems in the United Arab Emirates remains despite the implementation of health reforms in the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The two major emirates are currently at different stages in the development and implementation of reform with the gap between them in terms of access to healthcare and pharmaceuticals widening, with Abu Dhabi leading the way.Scope*Insight into the inequality of healthcare access and associated costs which has led to reform in the UAE*Overview of the latest regulatory reforms in the UAE and their impact on key stakeholders*Update of strategies to improve healthcare standards and access in Abu Dhabi*Update of strategies to improve healthcare standards and access in DubaiHighlightsHealthcare reforms in the UAE have aimed to improve the accessibility and quality of healthcare services available to residents while reducing the burden of public financing of healthcare. Since 2009, a number of reforms have been proposed and implemented, while others have been postponed in light of the recent global economic downturn.In Abu Dhabi, since the passing of the Health Insurance Bill in 2005, most residents are now covered by health insurance, with this being justified by increasing encounters between physicians and patients. The HAAD has also implemented a number of cost saving strategies, a screening program for nationals, and an eHealth platform.In Dubai, the timelines for the proposed health insurance reforms have been postponed. For expatriates, especially those on very low wages (such as labourers), the postponement will mean that access to healthcare will remain patchy, since they will have to pay out-of-pocket for treatment, or depend on the goodwill of their employers.Reasons to Purchase*Understand the latest changes to the UAE healthcare market and the strategic implications of current/ future reforms to your business*Identify opportunities for mutually beneficial relationships between your firm and other stakeholders*Understand the latest commercial trends adopted in the healthcare industry in response to, and in anticipation of the latest reforms

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Healthcare Regulatory Update: The United Arab Emirates
Published on January 2010
Report Summary
Introduction
The fragmented nature of the healthcare systems in the United Arab Emirates remains despite the implementation of health reforms
in the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The two major emirates are currently at different stages in the development and
implementation of reform with the gap between them in terms of access to healthcare and pharmaceuticals widening, with Abu Dhabi
leading the way.
Scope
*Insight into the inequality of healthcare access and associated costs which has led to reform in the UAE
*Overview of the latest regulatory reforms in the UAE and their impact on key stakeholders
*Update of strategies to improve healthcare standards and access in Abu Dhabi
*Update of strategies to improve healthcare standards and access in Dubai
Highlights
Healthcare reforms in the UAE have aimed to improve the accessibility and quality of healthcare services available to residents while
reducing the burden of public financing of healthcare. Since 2009, a number of reforms have been proposed and implemented, while
others have been postponed in light of the recent global economic downturn.
In Abu Dhabi, since the passing of the Health Insurance Bill in 2005, most residents are now covered by health insurance, with this
being justified by increasing encounters between physicians and patients. The HAAD has also implemented a number of cost saving
strategies, a screening program for nationals, and an eHealth platform.
In Dubai, the timelines for the proposed health insurance reforms have been postponed. For expatriates, especially those on very low
wages (such as labourers), the postponement will mean that access to healthcare will remain patchy, since they will have to pay
out-of-pocket for treatment, or depend on the goodwill of their employers.
Reasons to Purchase
*Understand the latest changes to the UAE healthcare market and the strategic implications of current/ future reforms to your
business
*Identify opportunities for mutually beneficial relationships between your firm and other stakeholders
*Understand the latest commercial trends adopted in the healthcare industry in response to, and in anticipation of the latest reforms
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Table of Content
ABOUT DATAMONITOR HEALTHCARE 2
About the Strategic Pharmaceutical Analysis Team 2
1. Executive Summary 3
Strategic scoping and focus 3
Key findings 3
Related reports 4
Table of Contents 5
2. Overview of regulatory and commercial trends in the UAE 6
Key findings 6
Inequality of healthcare access and associated costs has led to reform in the UAE 7
High price of drugs in the UAE has contributed to high healthcare costs and inequality to access 7
The WHO medicine price survey confirms the high drug prices and the limited availability of generics in the UAE 8
General Sale List (GSL) items have seen rapid price increases between 2008 and 2009 impacting access to low-cost medicines 8
Reluctance of the MOH to approve branded drugs manufactured in neighboring countries limits cost saving potential 9
Generic manufacturers diversify along the value chain 10
Local generics manufacturers are transitioning towards innovative manufacturing 10
Local generics manufacturers have also been moving into distribution and retail 10
Overview of healthcare reforms in Abu Dhabi and Dubai 12
3. Regulatory update of healthcare reforms in Abu Dhabi 13
Key findings 13
Update of strategies to improve healthcare standards and access in Abu Dhabi 14
HAAD's proposed pro-generic regulatory interventions 15
Development of a positive formulary list for the basic health insurance policy 16
Diagnosis coding is expected to lead to the reduction of medical errors 16
Rational drug use program cuts down unnecessary prescribing 16
Compulsory prescription by molecular name 17
The HAAD has developed a number of strategies to limit future drug shortages 20
The Ministry of Health has fast-tracked approval for the manufacturing of vaccines locally for emergency use 21
The HAAD is expanding the Weqaya screening program to include follow up tests and mammograms 23
Implications of the introduction of the Thiqa program 26
Introduction of co-payments to the Thiqa program to prevent abuse 27
Standardization of healthcare pathways 28
Improving patient compliance 29
DAMAN to block reimbursement for inferior medical treatment 31
4. Regulatory update of healthcare reforms in Dubai 32
Key findings 32
Update of strategies to improve healthcare standards and access in Dubai 33
Expatriate private sector insurance reforms delayed, but public sector reforms enacted 34
The timelines for the implementation of the health insurance reforms in Dubai have been postponed 35
Sanofi-Aventis capitalizes on inequality in healthcare access in the UAE 36
Implementation of health insurance program for public sector employees 36
Launch of small-scale screening programs in Dubai 37
5. Bibliography 39
Contributing experts 39
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Datamonitor reports 39
Publications and online articles 39
APPENDIX 42
Exchange rates 42
About Datamonitor 43
About Datamonitor Healthcare 43
Datamonitor consulting 43
Disclaimer 44
List of Tables
Table 1: Trends in public and private sector healthcare facilities, Abu Dhabi, 2007-08 26
Table 2: Summary of the Enaya insurance plan in Dubai 37
Table 3: Exchange rates, 2009 42
List of Figures
Figure 1: The Health Authority of Abu Dhabi's (HAAD) Unified Prescription Form 18
Figure 2: Impact of the HAAD's pro-generic reforms in February 2009 on consumption of brands in March 2009 in Abu Dhabi 19
Figure 3: Flow-chart showing reasons for drug unavailability in Abu Dhabi, 2009 20
Figure 4: The roll-out (Phase 1) and subsequent development of the Weqaya program in Abu Dhabi, 2008-09 23
Figure 5: The Health Authority of Abu Dhabi's (HAAD) Public Health Priority Matrix for Abu Dhabi, 2010 25
Figure 6: Access to healthcare for nationals and expatriates at public and private healthcare facilities in Dubai, 2009 35
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