FEATURE REHABILITATION
Growing elderly population – About 1% of the UAE population is over 65 years of age. If one uses the USA as a benchmark, the UAE will need 40 long-term care beds for every 1000 population over 65. That means the UAE needs 650 long- term beds as of 2010 just to care for UAE nationals. If we were to include non- nationals, the number of long-term care beds could increase to over 2000 beds.
The cognitively impaired or Alzheimer related dementia patients will require long term-care facilities specifically designed to care for this growing disease. At this time, there are no dedicated facilities for these types of patients. Families will be unable to manage family members with dementia related conditions in their home. Thus, additional long-term care facilities will be needed for this growing population.
Change in hospital reimbursement – All governments, including Abu Dhabi are evaluating the best way to care for the residents of the emirates. As a result, the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi has adopted a payment system to medical care providers that is used by most western governments. Under this payment system medical care providers are rewarded by ensuring that patients are cared for in the correct settings (outpatient, hospital, home care, long- term care). Since hospital care is the most expensive and hospital beds need to be used more efficiently, the payment system will reward medical providers who use the correct setting. As a result, the health authorities in the region will begin to pay hospitals less for caring for patients that should be cared for in alternative settings like long-term care facilities.
First to market - Obviously, those first to market can gain significant financial benefits over those providers who enter the market later.
Paralyzing injury – Given the youth of the UAE population, the region experiences a high rate of trauma accidents. People who are seriously injured in car accidents, motorcycles, dune buggies, etc. many times become paralyzed from these accidents. In such severe cases, theses paralyzed patients require a mechanical ventilator to breathe. As a result of these serious injuries, these patients require 24-hour medical care for life. One famous patient
«Investment in specifically trained staff across several specialisms is key»
was Christopher Reeve, the actor known as Superman, who broke his neck riding a horse. He was paralyzed from his neck down and required a mechanical ventilator to breathe, and 24-hour medical care. Christopher Reeve lived for 10 years after his accident. Younger patients will live 30-40 years requiring 24-hour medical care.
Congenital deformities - The MENA region has a higher rate of congenital deformities that many countries. As a result, many of these patients are young children born with birth defects that require 24 hour medical care. Although not all patients require a mechanical ventilator, many of the patients do require assisted airway management.
Neurological conditions – Conditions of the brain, spinal cord, etc. result in progressive loss of spinal and breathing functions. Diseases such as ALS, a neurological disorder characterized by progressive degeneration of motor neuron cells in the spinal cord and brain, which ultimately results in paralysis and death. There are many other neurological disorders such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, etc. that result in the loss of the spinal cord functions or the ability to breathe on one’s own.
Long term care facilities require several
clinical and operational components to ensure that the highly specialized needs of each patient are met. Investment in specifically trained staff across several specialisms is key. Patients can demand many different aspects of care, for example ICU nursing, rehabilitation support, ventilator care, as well as associated services such as PT, OT and speech therapy. The physical location of a facility can also have a significant impact on the patient experience. By building them in residential communities residents can feel as though they are in a ‘home like’ environment. Converted villas with the medical equipment and staff to handle critical long- term cares patients allows for the provision of medical safety without an overly clinical feel. Patients are still able to enjoy private rooms in a residential setting. Done well, specialized long-term
care facilities which cater to the specific medical needs of long-term care patients can be a very successful investments. ■
AH LEARN MORE
A growing part of the Abu Dhabi Medical Congress, the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation sector presents new rehabilitation technologies and products whilst increasing awareness and knowledge in the industry. The rehabilitation market in the Middle East is set to be worth around US$ 7 billion annually. More information about the event, visit
www.abudhabimed.com
Arab Health Issue 3 2011 49
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