The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has opened a new data center as part of the Smart City strategy, an initiative created by Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The health service reports the facility has an Uptime Institute (UTI) Tier III design certification.

Downtown Dubai
Downtown Dubai – Wikimedia Commons/Emaar Properties

The health trade

TradeArabia reports that Humaid Al Qatami, chairman of the board and director general of DHA toured the new center earlier this week. Amani Al Jasmi, head of Health Information Systems Section at DHA said the center will store medical records of patients, as well as research and other statistics.

Located in Latifa Hospital, the data center will serve as the DHA’s primary facility for the next 10 years after it becomes fully operational in 2017.

This month the DHA announced plans for a new 1,000-bed hospital as it eyes the lucrative medical tourism trade. By 2020, Dubai hopes to attract some 500,000 medical tourists from the rest of the United Arab Emirates and overseas.

Beyond 2020, Dubai is targeting millions of medical tourists, with their value potentially numbered in the billions. DHA director general Engineer Essa Al Maidoor told Arabian Business: “When it comes to medical, especially people from the MENA area, Africa and maybe the middle of Asia, why not [come to Dubai]?” 

In addition, the city plans to build dialysis units and long-term medical care centers in Al Barsha, Tawar, Zaabeel, Uptown Mirdiff and other areas in Dubai.

The UAE recently announced that it offers a three-month medical tourist visa, which can be extended twice, up to nine consecutive months.

The DHA also inspects a large number of the ships that dock at its three main shipping terminals - Rashid Port, Jebel Ali Port and Al Hamriya Port - for signs of contagious diseases. Between 2011 and 2015, The Dubai Health Authority inspected a total of 21,064 ships.