To monitor overall wellness, our survey looked at 5 key components—physical health, financial health, work health, family health and social health. When compared to 12 other countries, the UAE ranks 5th. While that’s good news, it’s important to dive deeper
The UAE ranked highest in family health—and lowest in financial health.
When measuring family health, we asked respondents in the UAE if they were satisfied with the amount of time they’re able to spend with family members. In addition, we asked them how confident they are in their ability to care for family members. The average score was 69.7 more than 3 points higher than the global average.
When it came to financial health, the average score dropped by nearly 20 points. We asked respondents about their current financial situation, retirement planning, their ability to pay for housing and more. Diving deeper, we learned that 50% of UAE respondents are concerned that they will be unable to pay their family’s or own medical expenses, above the mandatory employee coverage.
Workplace health insurance gaps remain an issue.
With Abu Dhabi and Dubai are leading the charge toward mandatory health insurance in the UAE, challenges remain. 45% of respondents state that they pay for their own medical insurance while 37% said they their employer-provided insurance covers their medical expenses. Therefore, it may not be too surprising to learn that 93% of people prefer to self-medicate when unwell.
21% of UAE respondents delay necessary health checks.
Given the information relayed above, it may not be surprising to learn that more than 1 out of 5 respondents have had not a checkup within the last year. But when you consider that chronic illness is rising and 30% of deaths in Dubai are caused by heart disease, this statistic makes the need to shift this behavior more urgent. Regular checkups can help identify health issues before they become serious problems.
Reach out Cigna for more information and a wider range of health and wellness solutions.
Like many things in the UAE, the healthcare landscape is changing quickly. At Cigna we’re responding to these changes by tailoring products and services to better meet the needs of the UAE. If you’d like to learn more about this survey and what Cigna is doing to help more residents of the UAE lead healthier, more secure lives, reach out to menacommunications@cigna.com.
