15 أغسطس 2026 23:22 مساء |
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15 أغسطس 23:32 2026
The reliance on government hospitals in the United Arab Emirates has seen a significant increase, with the number of visits rising by 46.7% from 2020 to 2024. This surge can be attributed to a growing trust in the public healthcare sector, particularly in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where the increases are most pronounced.
Significant Increases in Hospital Visits
According to an analysis by “Al Khaleej” based on data from the Ministry of Health and Prevention, the recorded visits to government hospitals surged from 5,135,623 in 2020 to 7,531,895 in 2024. This increase represents an additional 2,396,272 visits over the five-year period. However, it is worth noting that the growth in visits was not uniform across the years; while there was a hike in 2021, the figures declined for the following two years before rebounding sharply in 2024.
Private Sector Growth
While government hospitals experienced substantial growth, private hospitals witnessed an even more remarkable increase of 99.2%. The number of visits to private facilities rose from 9.79 million in 2020 to 19.51 million in 2024. This reflects an overall 81.1% rise in total visits to both government and private hospitals, which combined reached 27.04 million by 2024.
2024: A Year of Record Visits
2024 marked a peak year for hospital visits. The number of visits to government hospitals increased by 15.8% alone in that year, adding 1,025,708 visits, and surpassing 2021’s peak by 6.8%. For context, government hospital visits stood at 7.05 million in 2021 before experiencing a decline in subsequent years.
Regional Variations
In terms of geographical trends, Abu Dhabi and Dubai were at the forefront of this increase. Abu Dhabi saw a rise of 76.5%, escalating from 2.27 million visits in 2020 to 4.01 million in 2024. Dubai’s figures surged by an impressive 186.7%, jumping from approximately 567,000 to 1.62 million visits. Together, these two emirates accounted for 5.64 million visits in 2024, increasing their combined share of total government hospital visits from 55.3% in 2020 to 74.8% in 2024.
Contrasting Trends Across Emirates
However, not all emirates experienced similar growth. Fujairah recorded an increase of 80.3%, while Ras Al Khaimah increased by 21.1%. Conversely, Sharjah, Ajman, and Umm Al-Quwain witnessed declines ranging from 28.3% to 58.9% during the same period.
Hospital Admissions
In terms of hospital admissions, government hospitals reported 303,210 cases in 2024, marking a 14.3% increase from 265,268 in 2020. The private sector saw an even larger increase of 73.6%, with admissions rising from 424,444 to 736,654 cases. Despite these trends, government hospitals accounted for only 29.2% of total admissions in 2024, down from 38.5% in 2020. Nevertheless, they managed to secure over half of the total days of hospital admissions, with approximately 1.67 million days recorded compared to 1.44 million in private hospitals.