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About the UAE

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About the UAE

Since its formation, the UAE has witnessed tremendous development. With the discovery of oil and natural gas, both on land and in its waters, the country moved away from its earlier dependence on pearl diving, fishing and agriculture, and into an economy dominated by natural resources. Today, the UAE has transitioned again into a diversely productive economy that is based on internationally-emerging knowledge and future energy.

The UAE has also witnessed tremendous growth in the education field during the past four decades. Today, all male and female UAE Nationals enjoy free public education at all levels, including an entitlement to free higher education at public universities and colleges. A number of high-profile and internationally renowned academic institutions have also launched campuses in the UAE in recent years, opening up truly world-class educational opportunities to local residents.

The nation has seen pioneering developments that have garnered world-wide attention. Recent statistics confirm that the UAE has become a globally prominent financial and economic centre, as well as a tourism destination, including medical tourism. The UAE’s rapid economic development has significantly contributed to promoting the status of UAE citizens. Equal opportunities exist in education and workplace choices for UAE National men and women are now enshrined in law.

Similar growth has been experienced in healthcare. Forty years ago, the provision of healthcare services was limited and hospital care almost non-existent. In recent years, the government has developed an extensive network of multi-disciplinary hospitals and clinics all over the country. With the development of this sector, infant mortality rates have dropped significantly, childbirth mortality rates are at zero, and the population now enjoys a considerably higher life expectancy.

The UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda included the implementation of a health system with global standards. In cooperation with all health entities, the state will adopt all government and private hospitals in accordance with the international standards in terms of service provision, quality and adequacy of medical staff.

The National Agenda emphasizes the importance of preventive medicine. The UAE has ranked first globally in terms of the number of indexes related to addressing the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, from addressing the virus to the recovery period and overcoming the health, economic and social repercussions of the crisis.

In 2018, the UAE attracted around 100,000 medical tourists from 93 countries to receive treatment at its medical facilities, 20,000 of whom were in Abu Dhabi, a 20% increase compared to 2017.