People travel for many reasons: education, relaxation, adventure, and even to seek medical procedures. But, thanks to Dubai Healthcare City and WorldCare International, there is a new reason to take a holiday: Wellness.
Earlier this year, Dubai Healthcare City announced the launch of the world’s largest wellness concept, the WorldCare Wellness Village. This phase two expansion in Al Jadaf will be approximately 22 million square feet in size. Set to open its doors in approximately four years, the Village will focus on creating comprehensive, individualised wellness plans for clients afflicted with obesity, hypertension, diabetes and other physical conditions.
Nasser Menhall, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of WorldCare International, came up with the idea as an extension of their online network. He explains, “WorldCare International is a global second opinion network of more than 20,000 physicians in 15 United States-based hospitals. WorldCare Wellness Village will allow clients to tap into that network of experts remotely while visiting us in person here in Dubai. We expect to have a staff in Dubai of over 100, including physicians, nurses, psychologists, nutritionists and other wellness professionals. We are consolidating wellness in a level of quality and economy on a scale we have never seen before”.
Visiting wellness clients will first go through a rigorous physical examination. Based on the diagnosis, an individualised plan will be created. The plan will include medical, diet and exercise components, as would be expected, but also involves both educational and psychological support as well. Menhall says, “we are trying to help our clients break the harmful cycles they are in. We recognise this takes time, which is why we are different from the typical two-week health spa programme. Most of our clients will come stay at the Village for four to six weeks so we can help them recognise where they are going wrong and establish healthy habits in their place. Our comprehensive approach will help the new habits continue when they go home”. A health coach will be assigned to each client. They will follow the person during their stay as well as after their return home. Clients will then be recommended to return to WorldCare Wellness Village for a two-week refresher course every two years.
The Wellness Village will include residential villas and apartments, as well as rental units to support long-term stay for both local and foreign clients. The advantage of staying on-site is the opportunity to immerse oneself fully in the healthy surroundings. Menhall remarks, “for people with food addictions, the further they stay from the lavish buffet spreads at hotels, the faster they can learn to manage themselves to get, and stay, healthy”.
The eco-friendly living spaces will be designed to serve wellness and rehabilitation needs through features such as therapy zero-gravity pools, personalised spas, and rigorous exercise and diet facilities. Classes such as Pilates, Yoga and Zumba will provide fun and invigorating experiences.
The facility will be open for local UAE residents and Menhall expects approximately 45% of clients to come from within the GCC region, where Type 2 Diabetes is running rampant: statistics suggest that 50% of residents over 50 in the region are afflicted. Type 2 Diabetes can be effectively managed to a large extent by diet and exercise regimes. Another 35% of clients are expected to come from Europe due to the UAE’s proximity and centralised location.
Increasing access to preventative care is important to improve wellbeing and lower healthcare expenditure in the long term, said Her Excellency Dr. Raja Al Gurg, Vice-Chairperson and Executive Director of Dubai Healthcare City Authority. “By enabling access to wellness services, we are strengthening the health system and bringing patient centered care to the forefront. We are confident that Phase 2 will drive wellness tourism together with medical tourism, boosting Dubai’s diversified economy. It will bring together unique wellness concepts and specialised services such as rehabilitation, counselling, sports’ medicine and elderly care for both residents and visitors.”
With thanks to Heather Long Vandevoorde, Ph.D.