Dubai has defied global trends in many industries, but its Midas touch has not extended to its healthcare sector. A sharp rise in costs, combined with soaring rates of chronic disease, has brought budget worries.

The authorities are hurriedly laying the groundwork to entice private investors to help shoulder the burden. The tactic follows a government commissioned report released last year that predicted rich pickings for private hospitals, claiming 56 per cent of inpatient beds would be in the private sector by 2010.