The UAE is the first in the Gulf, Arab and regional levels in terms of per capita share of total health spending

The UAE ranked first in the Gulf, Arab and region levels in the eastern Mediterranean countries in the value of the per capita share of total health spending, which confirms the country's health financing system is sustainable, as the proportion of mandatory spending reached 83 percent of the value of total spending on the health care sector.

This came during the virtual media briefing organized by the Ministry of Health and Community Protection today to announce the results of the first session of the state's national health account in cooperation with the World Health Organization and the relevant health and government agencies, in the presence of the Assistant Undersecretary for Health Centers and Clinics Sector Dr. Hussein Abdel-Rahman Al-Rand and representatives from the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and the Ministry Finance, Health Department Abu Dhabi, Dubai Health Authority, Sharjah Health Authority, Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics, and Insurance Authority.

The results showed that the UAE achieved first place in the Gulf, Arab and Eastern Mediterranean countries in terms of the per capita share of total health spending, and that the country's health financing system is sustainable, with compulsory spending amounting to 83 percent of the value of total spending on the health care sector.

The Minister of Health and Community Protection, Abdul Rahman bin Muhammad Al Owais, affirmed that the UAE, thanks to the support and directives of the wise leadership, occupies a prominent position according to the global competitiveness reports in the field of sustainable development in light of national indicators and performance standards that represent the roadmap towards adopting international best practices and improving the quality of health care based on availability Modern infrastructure, the best specialized technologies and highly efficient medical care facilities, noting that the results of the first round of the National Health Account confirmed that the UAE is leading the Gulf, Arab and regionally at the level of the Eastern Mediterranean countries in the value of the per capita share of total health spending, which is a distinct achievement for the state that enhances the efficiency Initiatives, projects and policies within the framework of the UAE strategy to foresee the future and achieve the aspirations of the UAE Centennial 2071.

For his part, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Community Protection, Dr. Muhammad Salim Al-Olama, indicated that the National Health Account is a strategic priority that supports sustainability, competitiveness and governance of the health sector in the country. The National Health Account aims to establish an integrated national platform with a sustainable vision to collect health spending data, improve planning and allocate resources with a special focus on Distribution of expenses by disease.

And linking them to budgets and health outcomes in a sustainable way to enhance the choices of national health strategic plan makers.

Dr. Al-Olama extended his thanks and appreciation to all members of the National Health Account Committee in the country and all health authorities in the country and the Ministry's work team for their exceptional efforts to make the first session of the National Health Account in the country successful and to prepare the report with high professionalism.

For his part, Dr. Hussain Al-Rand stressed during the briefing that the health care system in the country continues to develop as one of the most strong and resilient health systems regionally and globally thanks to the support and directives of the UAE government to provide quality health care through a health system with international standards that is characterized by effectiveness, flexibility and sustainability. A healthy life for the individual, family and society is one of the priorities of the UAE's national agenda, making the UAE the best country in the world.

He provided an introduction to the UAE National Health Account, its strategic health importance, the components of the national health account, the methodology used in the calculation, and the importance of the results of the health account indicators in enhancing the competitiveness of the UAE in the field of health spending at the level of the Gulf countries, the Arab countries, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization.

Dr. Al-Rand revealed that the results of the first round of the results of the national health account indicate an increase in the volume of annual public and private spending on health by 26 percent, as the volume of domestic health spending in the UAE reached 57 billion dirhams in 2017, noting that the total health spending was estimated at 45 billion dirhams in 2017. According to the statistics of the World Health Organization, according to an increase in the per capita share of domestic health spending by 26 percent, as the per capita share of total domestic health spending in the country amounted to 6128 dirhams for the same year, which is equivalent to 1669 US dollars, pointing to the per capita share of total domestic health spending estimated at $ 1323 for the year 2016, according to WHO statistics.

Dr. Al-Rand added that by doing so, the UAE will be the first in the Gulf, Arab and regional levels in the Eastern Mediterranean countries in terms of the per capita share of total health spending, which enhances the competitiveness of the health financing system in the country.

He stated that the percentage of health spending from the gross domestic product increased, achieving a growth rate of 14.3 percent, indicating that the proportion of health spending to GDP reached 4.0 percent in 2017, compared to 3.5 percent in 2016, explaining that the proportion of mandatory financing out of total spending On health, it increased by 15.4 percent, as the mandatory financing rate for health in the country reached 82.6 percent of total health spending in 2017, while it was 71.6 percent in 2016, pointing out that this percentage is six degrees higher than the average percentage of mandatory financing in the Organization of Economic Cooperation Countries Centigrade, which reflects the sustainability of health financing in the country, as this has strengthened generous government spending on health and mandatory health insurance laws in the Emirates.

Dr. Al-Rand explained that the percentage of direct health spending by individuals on health services decreased by 36 percent, as the percentage of direct health spending by individuals on health was 12.2 percent of total health spending in 2017, while this percentage reached 19.2 percent in 2016, which reflects concern. The government supports the financial protection of the individual to obtain health services and strive to achieve universal health coverage, which is one of the most important health goals within the state's program to achieve the goals of sustainable development.

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