General Surgery in Dubai

General surgery is a surgical specialty that deals with a wide range of common ailments on almost any part of the body but typically focuses on treating diseases and injuries of the abdomen, including the esophagus, small intestine, large intestine, pancreas, liver, appendix, gallbladder, and bile ducts. It also deals with diseases that involve the breasts, skin, soft tissue, digestive system, and endocrine system glands. 

Despite the term “general,” general surgeons are highly skilled surgeons. They can be found practicing many types of surgery, but they may also specialize in a type of surgery, such as treating cancer, which requires the skill to perform procedures on multiple areas of the body. 

Some common surgeries that are performed by general surgeons are as follows:

• Appendectomy.
• Breast surgery for cancerous and non-cancerous tumors, including breast biopsy, lumpectomy (breast-conserving surgery or partial mastectomy), and mastectomy. 
• Colon and rectal surgery, including colectomy, colostomy, and hemorrhoidectomy.
• Esophageal surgery, including esophagectomy, acid reflux surgery, and excision of an esophageal lesion.
• Gastroenterology procedures, such as gastric bypass surgery, upper GI endoscopy, and liver biopsy.
• Gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy).
• Hernia repair.
• Varicose vein removal.
• Thyroid removal.
• Transplant, such as kidney and liver transplantations.
• Spleen removal.
• Wound repair.

How Long Should I Stay in Dubai?

Your length of stay depends on the type of surgery you underwent. In general, you should wait for at least seven to ten days before you travel home, sometimes extending to 14 days. During your stay, you will need to rest as much as possible and let your body recover. In some cases, your surgeon may schedule a follow-up visit to evaluate your healing and, if needed, remove any stitches.

What's the Expected Recovery Time?

Recovery time can be different from one person to another, depending on the type of surgery you have and your general health. Anytime you have some sort of incision, you will have to wait until that incision has healed completely until you can go back to your full normal routine. Your surgeon will give you an idea of how long your recovery time can take. It can take a few weeks until you are allowed to return to work, and you may need to gradually increase your activity level until you can resume all of your normal activity.

What Aftercare is Required?

To speed your recovery time and avoid complications, it is important to follow the instructions you are given. Even a simple instruction, such as no baths after your surgery, may not seem meaningful, but your surgeon would not instruct it without good reason. You will need to have regular checkups after your surgery, but you can typically choose to have the checkups with your local doctor at home if you cannot make multiple travels to Dubai. 

What's the Success Rate?

With new techniques, advanced technology, and extensive experience of general surgeons, the success and safety rate for general surgery continues to increase. For example, general surgeons can now use laparoscopic techniques or perform robot-assisted surgery to minimize the risk and increase the success rate of surgery. These new techniques are possible thanks to continuous research and advancement in general surgery. Still, no surgical procedure is risk-free. All types of surgery generally carry the risk of bleeding, infection, and damage to other organs. 

Are there Alternatives?

There is typically no alternative to general surgery. However, if your doctor suspects that you need a specific specialist for your disease or injury, they will refer you to the relevant specialist. 

General Surgery in and around Dubai

About Dubai

Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the UAE and it is the second largest in size and has the biggest population of over 3 million people. The population of the UAE lives there tax-free as there is no VAT on food or consumer goods, and it is certainly one of the reasons why a large number of expats are attracted to this country and 84% of the population are non-nationals. Dubai prides itself upon the fact that it is one of the swiftest growing economies in the world. The tourism industry is one of the principal strategies of the Dubai government to keep foreign cash flowing into Dubai.

The private sector has been building state of the art facilities and also caters to medical tourism. Dubai has two healthcare free economic zone for hospitals and medical facilities. The industry consists of 35,000 medical professionals from 110 nationalities. There is a 12-year master plan, which includes adding 40 healthcare and three new hospitals.

The country aims to provide a 1000-bed medical care unit catering to inpatients and outpatients, with five-star hotel facilities and varied mélange of services. By the year 2020 Dubai Health Authority (DHA) plans to attract 500,000 annual international medical tourists to the city, 

Hospitals such as the NMC Specialty Hospital, Medeor 24x7 Hospital, Medicare Hospital, Aster Hospital are some of the more popular ones in the City. Expats from all over the world turn to Dubai for solutions to address ailments from non-invasive beauty treatments to surgeries, depression, and mood disorder treatments. The most popular treatments are Orthopaedics, Dermatology and Ophthalmology, Plastic surgery, and Aesthetic Practices and surgeries. It is also attracting Medical tourism from around the world due to:

• Dubai follows strict quality protocols and has specialists from all over the world working in its hospitals.
• The best medical technology is available and is on par with any world-class facility.
• The government and other stakeholders are working continuously to establish a world-class healthcare system in Dubai.
• Large investments from the government and private sector in the medical tourism industry.

Popular Areas in Dubai

Dubai is a paradise for shoppers. You can shop in the souks that are dotted around the city or visit the stylish shopping malls. From spices to the latest high street fashion and gold jewelry, you can buy everything at reasonable prices including electronic gadgets as the Vat rate is only 5%.

Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world and Burj Al Arab in Dubai which is the most luxurious hotel in the world is located in this building. You can buy a ticket to its observation deck located on the 124th floor from where you can see the panoramic view of the city. If you want to experience the tradition and history of the city, there are numerous museums to visit. If you love adventure, desert safaris will take you on some amazing activities that include dune bashing, camel rides, sand boarding and you will get to taste the local cuisine in the middle of the desert.

IMG Worlds of Adventure is the largest indoor theme park in the world. The IMG Worlds of Adventure is very big and is the size of 28 football fields. High and fast roller coasters, fine dining, and retail outlets are all in abundance within this theme park.

Weather and Climate in Dubai

Dubai, being a desert city, is hot for most of the year. August is the hottest month and January is the coldest one. The temperatures can range between 24 °C in winter to 45 °C in summer and humidity is very high in Summer. Dubai winters are from November to April and this is the best time to visit Dubai. 

Getting around in Dubai

Dubai has one of the busiest airports in the word and the airport is an important transit hub between Asia and Europe. Most of the airlines that fly to Asia, connect through Dubai airport that is known for its luxury and has many concourses and terminals and there are interconnecting metro trains between the terminals.

Dubai is famous for establishing the first metro service in the entire Arabian region and it has been investing and expanding the train network over the past few decades.

Port Jebel Ali is the biggest man-made harbor in the world and is a major point of entry to the country. Port Rashid is Dubai’s second major port. Apart from the major ports, it also has local boats and ferries that help people travel between different parts of the city. It has an excellent road network that connects to all the other Emirati cities. As Sharjah is the nearest Emirati city to Dubai, it has good public bus service connections to Sharjah. There are numerous taxi services and buses with reasonable fares, available for tourists to commute around the city.

Tourist Visas in Dubai

You can get a non-extendable visit visa or a tourist visa for 30 days or 90 days. Many job seekers use visitor visas to find work and convert their visitor visa to a work visa during their stay. Citizens of GCC countries and the European Union, USA, and the UK, Canada, Russia, China, Australia, and many other countries can get a visa on arrival. However, all passports must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry.

Additional Information

1. Local Currency- AED or Arab Emirate Dirham (Dhs) is the local currency.
2. Money & Payments -You can exchange money in numerous money exchangers. Major currencies that are traded in Dubai are Pounds, Euros, Australian and American Dollars. Most places accept credit cards and international debit cards for payments, Yet, it is better you carry some local currency with you while visiting small shops or traveling in taxis. ATMs are also available from where you can withdraw the local currency. In fact, many ATMs are free in Dubai and do not incur any banking charges.
3. Tipping is not compulsory, but it is customary to tip in restaurants and hotels. Tipping anywhere between 10 and 15% of your bill is about right. As taxis are cheap, people even tip the drivers for good service.
4. Arabic is the official language and English is the most spoken language here. People from Asian countries living in Dubai speak Hindi, Urdu, Persian.
5. The official religion of the country is Islam. It is, however, the most liberal city in the Gulf region. You must be careful to respect the local traditions and wear simple conservative clothes.
6. Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha are two major religious holidays. Islamic New Year, Prophet’s birthday, UAE’s national day, and Commemoration Day are the other significant holidays. The religious festivals are dependent on the sightings of the moon and may occur on different days every year.