Planning, policy and financing of healthcare - Research Paper Example

A system of monopoly in the provision of health insurance was therefore shifted from Daman, which was the largest player in the UAE healthcare insurance markets to a mix of regional, local, and international players. The shift has yielded positive results since today all people are covered by the mandatory health insurance. Transparency in healthcare funding has also been achieved creating a pathway for sound decisions in healthcare. However, there have been a number of challenges since the public-private partnership created a dominant player in the healthcare market.

All in all, Abu Dhabi has set a good example that can be emulated by other cities and nations wishing to make reforms in health care access. Abu Dhabi is a city that has experienced rapid economic growth in the last two decades. Despite being the wealthiest and biggest city among cities in the United Arab Emirates, the government of Abu Dhabi faced a number of challenges. The first challenge was individual’s lack of significant access to healthcare; the city of Abu Dhabi comprises of high, middle and low income earners who are the majority.

Given the meager amounts of salaries made by low income earners, access to good healthcare was a challenge. Secondly, government funded healthcare in Abu Dhabi lacked transparency. Consequently, medical services in public health facilities were perceived to be worse compared to services in private facilities. In order to get services in public health facilities, long waiting times were involved. Finally, there was overreliance of healthcare on public funding, whereas the burden could have been easier, if employers in Abu Dhabi helped in providing healthcare to workers.

Administrative reform in healthcare in Abu Dhabi was initiated in 2005 when the Abu Dhabi health insurance law was passed. In 2006, by-laws associated with the Abu Dhabi health insurance law were enacted. According to the by-laws, every employer in Abu Dhabi was obligated to