The new Aster DM Healthcare programmes bringing specialist and long-term support into a coordinated model of care for women across the UAE
Healthcare systems across the Gulf have expanded rapidly, improving access to advanced treatment and establishing high-quality services for women during pregnancy and childbirth. However, women’s health extends far beyond the reproductive years, and care has not always evolved around the physical and emotional changes that occur throughout life.
Adolescent health, menstrual disorders and sexual wellbeing can remain difficult subjects for women and girls to discuss. Later, fertility treatment and maternity care may be readily available, but conditions such as cardiovascular disease and poor mental health can require several specialists working across separate parts of the system. Support during perimenopause and menopause is also developing from a relatively low base, leaving some women without clear advice about their symptoms or the longer-term implications for their health.
Fragmentation can make the system particularly difficult to navigate. A woman may consult a gynaecologist about irregular periods, an endocrinologist about her thyroid and another clinician about anxiety or weight gain, without the underlying connections between those concerns being fully explored. Busy lives and family responsibilities can create further delays, particularly when women are uncertain which specialist they need.
The Gulf’s diverse population adds another layer of complexity. Women come from different cultural backgrounds and have widely varying levels of health literacy, insurance coverage and confidence in discussing sensitive concerns. Even where services are available, stigma or a lack of reliable information can prevent women from seeking help early.
Governments are increasingly recognising the need for a broader approach. The UAE’s National Policy for Improving Women’s Health moves beyond maternity care to encompass chronic disease prevention, mental health and healthy ageing. Its priorities also include maternal, reproductive and sexual health, alongside stronger research, information systems and innovation in women’s healthcare.
The policy reflects a growing understanding that better outcomes depend on supporting women throughout life. Early education can establish healthier habits during adolescence, while preventive screening can identify risks before disease becomes more difficult to treat. Coordinated support during menopause can address immediate symptoms while creating an opportunity to review cardiovascular, bone and metabolic health.
Translating those ambitions into everyday care will require providers to connect services that have traditionally operated separately. New initiatives from Aster DM Healthcare aim to do so through structured pathways covering women from adolescence to menopause and beyond.
Building care around women’s lives
Founded by Dr Azad Moopen as a single clinic in Dubai in 1987, Aster DM Healthcare has grown into one of the Gulf’s largest integrated healthcare providers. Its network spans primary care, hospitals and pharmacies, supported by digital health services and brands including Aster and Medcare.
Across the GCC, the group currently operates 15 hospitals, 128 clinics and 345 pharmacies, treating more than 20m patients a year. Its scale gives Aster an opportunity to address one of the central weaknesses in women’s healthcare: the lack of continuity between different services and stages of life.
Care for Her, delivered through Aster Hospitals & Clinics, and Elle by Medcare, the premium version of the programme offered through the Medcare network, are based on the principle that women’s health should not be treated as a succession of unrelated medical episodes.
Both programmes combine preventive screening and early diagnosis with specialist consultations and long-term support. Care is organised around different stages of life, from adolescence and early adulthood to the reproductive years, perimenopause and menopause, with pathways adapted to women’s changing physical, hormonal, emotional and metabolic health needs.
By connecting these services around the woman rather than the individual condition, Aster aims to create a more coordinated and continuous model of care throughout life.
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