DUBAI // Dubai moved on Monday to regulate the cost of private health care as authorities try to rein in the rising cost of living.
From next year, hospitals, clinics and polyclinics that want to raise their prices must apply to the Dubai Health Authority, which will evaluate the request based on the rate of inflation, the cost of doing business in the emirate, the quality of the services provided and the performance of the applicant.
“The DHA is trying to strike a balance between regulating price and ensuring that the cost of health care does not inflate, while keeping the free spirit of the market in Dubai,” said Haidar Al Yousuf, the authority’s director of health funding.
The authority will control price increases rather than set prices, he said. “We have reached an equilibrium over the years and will not upset that immediately.”
If the DHA accepts a proposed price structure, providers would still need to negotiate it with health insurers. Dubai’s 44 health insurance providers have been asking for the regulation of rising healthcare costs, which have fuelled the world’s fastest growing premiums.
“Access to health care gets expensive, and can we keep increasing premiums?” said Sherif Mahmoud, the regional head of medical operations at Axa Insurance Gulf.
Mr Mahmoud said health insurance premiums in the UAE increased by between 10 and 16 per cent a year, and the new system in Dubai woud probably limit that to about 10 per cent.
Dubai is introducing compulsory health insurance in stages, beginning this year, which is expected to provide about two million residents and their families with coverage for the first time. The new system could be challenging for the Government because of a lack of clarity about how those new customers will behave, said Mr Mahmoud.
There is a risk for consumers that the regulation of price increases may reduce the number of healthcare options available to them, he said. “It is promising but let’s wait and see the reaction of providers.”
Mr Mahmoud said healthcare providers could reduce costs but also increase the frequency of applications for price rises.
Providers are concerned that any cap on price increases could have an impact on their services.
“It’s a major challenge because of the continuous inflation in the market in the UAE and once prices are fixed it takes a lot of time to revise them,” said Ravi Dhir, chief executive of Healthcare Mena. The company operates 21 facilities in the UAE and Kuwait, including Abu Dhabi’s National Hospital, and has plans to open more than a dozen more medical and dental centres at a cost of more than Dh100 million.
“There should be quality parameters to define pricing for each medical entity, such as international accreditation, qualification of the staff, and location of the centre.”
For instance, doctors with degrees from the United States and Europe command double the salary of those from other countries, increasing operating costs, he said.
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Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
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Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
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Rating: 4/5
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
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The specs
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
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2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
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MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
Brief scores
Day 1
Toss England, chose to bat
England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46
If you go
'Nope'
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
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HEADLINE HERE
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DUBAI WORLD CUP CARNIVAL CARD
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The National selections
6.30pm: Gifts Of Gold
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Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Plastic tipping points
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The specs
Wicked
Results
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If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
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Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
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Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
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Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
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Boredom
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Soldier F
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Jimmy Duddy, nephew of John Johnson
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On sale: now
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Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
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Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.