Al-Ahli Hospital Sees Rise In GCC Patients
Date
1/19/2025 11:14:15 PM
(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Al-Ahli Hospital is witnessing a rise in visitors from GCC countries seeking medical treatment in Qatar, a trend linked to Qatar's increasing attractiveness as a tourism destination, according to Staff Training and Development head Dr Loui al-Fakhri.
“I was a little bit surprised when I looked at the visitors' figure because I see an increased pattern of visitors from the Gulf region,” he told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the recently held Al-Ahli Hospital diabetes and Endocrine conference at Ritz-Carlton Doha.
As director of Insurance, Dr al-Fakhri noted that he is privy to the submissions and bills sent to insurance companies, giving him a unique perspective on the influx of patients from neighbouring countries. He attributed the increase to Qatar's rising appeal as both a tourist and leisure destination, saying:“As Qatar gains a more appealing destination as a tourism and as a leisure destination, the visitors will combine their leisure with health plans and visit facilities in Qatar to address health concerns.
The Ministry of Public Health is also prioritising medical tourism, according to Dr al-Fakhri, noting that this trend is in line with the State's broader objectives:“We had a meeting with the ministry and medical tourism is high on the agenda of their priorities so we will have to do our part to contribute to that State's objective and we will do that”.
He said the key to competing with traditional health tourism destinations is to offer both high-quality healthcare and attractive leisure activities.
“We need to be appealing as a tourist destination, as well as a high calibre health provider destination so when the two are combined I think we will be able to compete with the traditional health tourism destinations.
“At the end of the day, most patients tend to visit those destinations for two reasons: one is quality healthcare and the second is the complimentary tourism and leisure activities that they can engage with,” Dr al-Fakhri said.
The Al-Ahli Hospital Diabetes and Endocrine Conference, which saw a targeted participation of 200, forms part of the institution's strategy to position itself as a leading healthcare provider in the region, he added.
“This is our first diabetes conference for Al-Ahli so we are obviously learning from this experience,” Dr al-Fakhri noted. He added that they are planning a second diabetes conference in the fourth quarter of this year, aiming for an improved experience with greater participation.
MENAFN19012025000067011011ID1109106807
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.