Prices of DHA medical services, medicines set to change

Dubai Health Authority is restructuring its price lists, and both nationals and expatriates will have to pay for the medical services.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Dr Marwan Ahmed Al Zarouni, Head of the restructuring committee said that the main purpose of this is to improve and fund the medical service provided by DHA.

“We are working on re-structuring the prices of services and all procedures and treatments at DHA. In this, we are going to change the prices of medical services, operations and set these as per the international benchmark."

He added that DHA have assigned a committee to work on this, and it is headed by him among other members.
 
Dr Marwan continued: "We have started pricing medical services in the emirate. The government is paying billions of dirhams to provide high-class services to the public.

"We have to balance between the expenditures of DHA entities and the profit it makes. So far, the government have been spending a lot and the returns were not even covering the costs of these services. To maintain the quality of services, and to improve our facilities and expand, we have to get income to cover these cots. Thus, through the new pricing list, we are planning to at least cover the costs of medical service provided by the government in the emirate.”

He stressed that by restructuring of the cost of services provided by DHA, they are also aiming that the private sector will reconsider and will lower its prices.
 
“DHA will set its prices for all the treatments, operations, tests and procedures, to the international benchmarks. Then, these prices will be a benchmark for the insurance companies here and it will then consider these prices and tell private sector that we are only going to pay for what DHA entities are charging. The public can then know the difference and know how much more they are paying in the private sector. Then, the private sector will definitely reconsider and lower their prices to attract patients.”

He added that they have started with the first phase of this project, and implemented it at Rashid Hospital. We are now waiting to the authority to approve the pricing list in order to implement it on all DHA entities.
 
He pointed out that after the implementation of Sadaa Health Insurance in Dubai, the new pricing structure will be also implemented on all nationals and expatriates.

"As for the UAE nationals here in Dubai, the new insurance Saada will pay for their medical costs at DHA entities, which means their medical services will still be free."

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