Hospitals learn lessons from hotels

The Life: Executives are trying to reshape the local healthcare market by offering boutique hospitals with hotel-like amenities - with video.

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Checking into the hospital is becoming more like checking into a hotel at some facilities in the Emirates. Some are piping in spa-like music through the corridors, or decorating patient rooms with cozy furniture and colours.

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Last Updated: May 31, 2011

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The goal, says Mohammed Al Shorafa, chief executive of the healthcare investment company UEMedical, is to ensure the recovery experience feels "very homey, so you don't feel like you're in a hospital. It would seem more like a spa, rather than institutional," he says.

Healthcare is a booming business in the Emirates, and executives are determined to get every bit that they can. Last year, the UAE's healthcare market reached US$6.6 billion, which was up 12 per cent over 2009. In just two more years, the market is expected to expand to around $11 billion, according to market research provider RNCOS.

To find out more about how Mr Al Shorafa and his competitors are trying to shape the local healthcare market, check out The Life.