More Health Practitioners in Dubai Are Now Investing in Continuing Education

With Dubai looking to cement its position as the region’s go-to hub for medical tourism – the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) recently set its sights on over 1.3 million medical tourists by 2021 with a projected increase of 13% each year – an increasing number of health practitioners in the emirate are now investing in continuing education to keep up-to-date with new developments in their respective fields. Dubai-based clinic Vilafortuny recorded an 80% occupancy rate at the specialised courses it offered at its DHA-accredited training centre during 2016.

“Dubai is working towards strengthening its position as a global medical hub, and practitioners are now realising that to better serve the high volume of incoming medical tourists it is important they stay abreast with evolving industry practices and new technological developments in their fields. The emirate is therefore turning into a centre for education and self-development, especially with respect to the dental and medical industry,” notes Dr Kathrin Trelles, founder of Vilafortuny.

So far, the clinic’s in-house training centre has played host to lectures, live demonstrations and hands-on training workshops from celebrated, seasoned doctors from across Europe and America. Notable health professionals that have visited the centre last year include Dr Christian Coachman, a global expert on digital smile design, aesthetic dentistry and oral rehabilitation and Dr Mauro Fradeani, internationally renowned in the areas of dental implants and prosthetics.

Dr Trelles adds: “We have invested in this training centre to create a learning environment dedicated to continuing education for the region’s practitioners of dentistry, dermatology and plastic surgery. We expect our occupancy rate to rise during 2017 as we scale up the number and the scope of the courses that we are offering. These will include hands-on training and live demonstrations of laser applications for various medical and dental specialities, given the growing use of lasers in this fields.”

Speakers have already been lined up for the first set of courses being conducted at Vilafortuny in 2017: Dr Maria Alexandra A. Barrero will conduct an exclusive one-day course on the incorporation of diode lasers into the daily workflows of dental hygienists and Dr Mario Trelles, internationally known for his contributions to the advancements of laser techniques in medicine, will deliver a lecture on the role cosmetologists can play in providing laser and light treatments.