UAE: More than 50% of residents avoid hospital visits due to COVID-19
Source: Middle East Insurance Review | Dec 2020
Over half (52%) of UAE respondents claim that they would avoid going to a clinic or hospital for general health needs while the global COVID-19 pandemic is active, according to a YouGov survey commissioned by Gilead Sciences Middle East.
This highlighted the effect of COVID-19 on aspects of healthcare which presents risk for patients of chronic diseases and viral infections that can be asymptomatic such as the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
“The global pandemic has seen people become anxious about visiting a clinic out of the fear of contracting COVID-19. This is concerning as general ailments, chronic diseases and other health issues will take less of a priority, and diseases such as HCV that require laboratory testing to identify can go undiagnosed.
“Similarly, delayed elimination efforts due to COVID-19 will negatively impact the consequences of HCV, so it is crucial for key stakeholders to remain proactive in this domain to achieve national and global elimination targets,” said the Emirates Gastroenterology and Hepatology society president Dr Samir Al Awadhi.
Telehealth services
The survey also questioned respondents on the use of telehealth services. Around 62% responded that they would prefer remotely consulting healthcare professionals for health needs while the pandemic is active.
“The global pandemic has resulted in many behavioural changes and it has also seen the acceleration of digitisation across many sectors with the healthcare industry being no exception.
“There is now a mandate to adopt new solutions such as telehealth concepts to ensure patients have better access to healthcare, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. Telehealth offers us the opportunity to simplify models of care and maintain micro-elimination efforts to enhance step by step HCV elimination efforts,” said Dr Al Awadhi.
In fact, at an individual level, the survey highlighted that the majority of UAE respondents (80%) are more likely to take action for their health if healthcare communications apply specifically to their health needs. M