Partnership formed to boost UAE's status as a medical travel destination

Sajjad Ahmad, Deputy Business Editor

Dubai: The UAE is a global destination for medical tourism as its advanced healthcare infrastructure offers best treatments.

To strengthen the UAE's position as world class medical tourism hub, NUQAIM Holdings, the Dubai-headquartered diversified healthcare enterprise, and The Medical Travel Company (TMTC), the London-headquartered full-stack Healthcare Concierge, signed a strategic partnership in Dubai. Together they will build a medical travel corridor connecting patients in the UK & Africa with world-class care in the UAE.

With NHS waitlists at an all-time high with more than 8 Million people waiting to see a doctor or get a surgery done in The UK, this corridor gives UK patients a new option: Surgeries in the UAE, a few hours’ flight from home, in an internationally accredited hospital offering world-class care. The New Consortium manages the entire journey end to end, from the first consultation with a specialist in the home country to visas, flights, accommodation, airport transfers and a dedicated care coordinator throughout the journey. The corridor also extends to patients from Africa.

A defining feature of the partnership is bringing international healthcare providers from India/UK/ USA and UAE to operate in the UAE. The Consortium clinicians are senior consultants, with experience of thousands of complex procedures, including robotic surgery.

Dubai ranks sixth in the world on the Medical Tourism Index and welcomed 691,478 international health tourists in 2023. Its healthcare sector now counts around 5,800 licensed facilities and more than 69,400 private-sector professionals, and the UAE ranks first globally for accredited healthcare facilities. Demand from the UK is rising fast: an estimated 523,000 UK residents travelled abroad for treatment in 2024, up from 348,000 in 2022.

Every patient’s own UK doctor stays involved before, during and after treatment, with nurse-assisted recovery and telemedicine follow-up.

Dr Shajir Gaffar, Managing Director, NUQAIM Holdings, said: “The UAE has built some of the most advanced healthcare infrastructure in the world, and patients from Europe, the GCC and Africa are increasingly choosing it. This partnership opens a trusted corridor from the UK and brings highly experienced world renowned and distinguished UAE Based specialists to manage these patients providing the highest internationally evidence based practices and care. Together, we are shaping a future where healthcare is accessible, efficient and compassionate.”

Ankit Mehrotra, Co-Founder, The Medical Travel Company, said: “Most medical travel companies book a hospital and stop there. TMTC is a full-stack healthcare concierge: a UK doctor assesses their case, we match the patient with the right specialist, and we handle their travel, treatment, recovery and follow-up once they’re home. That’s how Jean Paul got two new knees and skipped three years on a waiting list, and how Marie, at 79, got cancer treatment she had been told wasn’t possible by the NHS. That’s what TMTC is for: giving people a second chance at life. With NUQAIM, we can bring the TMTC Ecosystem to UAE and give patients world-class care through one seamless, fully managed journey.”

Dr Samih Tarabichi, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Knee and Hip Replacement Expert said: "Many patients in the UK face prolonged waiting times for joint replacement surgery, during which pain can intensify and mobility can deteriorate. The UAE offers timely access to treatment at internationally accredited hospitals, delivered to established, evidence-based clinical standards. What matters most to me is that this partnership extends beyond surgery itself. Every patient will benefit from a coordinated treatment pathway, structured post-operative rehabilitation, and continuity of care after returning home, creating a seamless, patient-centred experience focused on clinical outcomes, recovery and long-term well-being."

The launch included a panel discussion on the UAE’s future as a global medical travel hub, moderated by Prof. Abdel Rahman Ahmed Omer, an international healthcare Strategic advisor and Executive Director of NUQAIM Holdings.