Amit's Blog

India vs. Global Medical Tourism: UAE’s Success with Indian Talent India’s medical tourism sector, valued at $7.69 billion in 2024 and attracting 700,000–800,000 patients annually, holds immense potential but underperforms due to systemic deficiencies. Despite offering treatments at 60–80% lower costs than Western countries and expertise in cardiac surgery, organ transplants, and oncology, India lags behind competitors like Thailand ($6–$7 billion, 1.8–2 million patients), Malaysia ($1.5–$2 billion, 1–1.2 million patients), Singapore ($2.2–$2.5 billion, 500,000 patients), Turkey ($2.5–$3 billion, 1–1.5 million patients), and the UAE ($3.5–$5 billion, 500,000–700,000 patients). Indian-managed facilities in the UAE, such as Aster DM Healthcare and Zulekha, capture 20–30% of its market, leveraging Indian expertise in a superior ecosystem. India’s growth is hindered by fragmented policies, poor infrastructure, weak branding, and reliance on volatile regions. China’s nascent sector (<$...

Sudan’s Civil War: A Vortex of Power, Gold, and Proxy Games (2010–2025) Sudan’s civil war, erupting in April 2023, pits the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). Rooted in a power struggle following the 2019 ousting of Omar al-Bashir, the conflict has killed up to 150,000, displaced 12.3 million, and left 25 million facing hunger. Gold, fueling both sides through smuggling to the UAE, is a key driver, alongside ethnic tensions and foreign interference. The SAF, backed by Egypt, Iran, and Turkey, has retaken Khartoum, while the RSF, supported by the UAE, holds Darfur. Foreign powers, including Russia and Saudi Arabia, exacerbate the crisis through arms and economic interests, turning Sudan into a proxy battlefield. This note explores the factions, their origins, the 2019 and 2021 coups, foreign roles, gold’s impact, and Sudan’s trajectory over 15 years. 1. For...