NUQAIM and TMTC target UK patients with UAE medical travel deal
A new partnership between Dubai-based NUQAIM Holdings and London-based The Medical Travel Company (TMTC) aims to bring patients from the UK and Africa to the UAE for treatment, with support stretching from the first consultation to recovery at home.
The agreement, reported by Gulf Today, combines access to UAE healthcare providers with travel arrangements and care coordination. For patients considering surgery abroad, its main selling point is having one service organise the different stages of care.
The promise is clear. The practical details are less complete: the reports reviewed do not disclose package prices, expected patient numbers or independently verified outcomes for the new programme.
What the partnership promises
According to Khaleej Times, the service will arrange specialist consultations, visas, flights, accommodation and airport transfers, with a dedicated care coordinator. The companies also say UK doctors will remain involved, supported by nurse-assisted recovery and remote follow-up consultations.
TMTC co-founder Ankit Mehrotra described the approach as managing “travel, treatment, recovery and follow-up once they’re home,” in remarks reported by the newspaper.
A syndicated company announcement identifies joint replacement, IVF and dental implants among the planned procedures, subject to licensing. It also names the Gulf states as a target market.
These are commitments made at launch. They do not yet establish how consistently the service will deliver care across countries, or how responsibility will be shared when a patient needs further treatment.
A bid for a larger share of international patients
The UAE already has an established medical travel market. Dubai Health Authority figures published by the Dubai Media Office show that the emirate received more than 691,000 health tourists in 2023. Their spending on healthcare services exceeded AED 1.03 billion.
Those figures describe Dubai in 2023, rather than the whole UAE or current demand for this partnership. Dentistry accounted for 29% of the most sought-after specialties, followed by dermatology at 27% and gynaecology at 13%.
The commercial logic is to make overseas care easier to arrange. A patient weighing a knee replacement abroad must consider much more than the surgeon: accommodation during recovery, rehabilitation and communication with doctors at home all affect the decision.
Offering those services together could help providers attract patients who would otherwise hesitate. Whether it represents good value will depend on the full price and exactly what that price includes.
