Senior DHA [...]]]>

Today, Deputy Director General of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Khalid Al Sheikh Mubarak, and Executive Director of the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, Khalifa Hassan Al Drai, signed a memorandum of understanding ( MoU) in order to strengthen the relations between the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services and the DHA hospitals and clinics.

Senior DHA officials were attending the signing ceremony such as Dr Mohammad Al Olama, CEO of the Hospital Services Sector and Mr Tony Batour Elzoghbi, Director of Governance and Internal Audit.

His Excellency Khalid Al Sheikh Mubarak, Deputy Director General of the DHA mentioned that “The aim of the MoU is to further strengthen cooperation with the Ambulance services.”

All DHA hospitals and health centers including the Airport medical center are going to offer complete assistance to the ambulance personnel in order to ensure that we the best possible treatment to patients using this service. Moreover, DHA will send a team of medical professionals to the accident site when needed. The MOU recognized that” the DHA and the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services will share medical equipment, medicines and expertise.”

The collaboration between the DHA and the Dubai Cooperation for Ambulance Services extends to ensuring a smooth process for receiving and shifting critical patients. In addition, Al Sheikh Mubarak noted that providing timely and effective treatment to the patients is considered a vital to the DHA and this MOU is going to aid in ensuring a smooth operation for the same. The two authorities will also be jointly responsible for taking part in exhibition and conferences.

Share/Save

A high-level committee has been set up in this regard and is headed by Khalid Al Shaikh Mubarak, CEO of Shared Support Services Sector at the [...]]]>

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is leading a comprehensive study to evaluate the most feasible options for the private sector to take on a
substantial role in health and healthcare management.

A high-level committee has been set up in this regard and is headed by Khalid Al Shaikh Mubarak, CEO of Shared Support Services Sector at the authority.

This committee will explore the role of the private sector in the delivery of health services such as emergency and trauma services.

“It is imperative that we thoroughly evaluate all the parameters to decide the best possible model which suits our needs and helps provide excellent healthcare services to our main stakeholder- our patients.”

Al Shaikh Mubarak said, “PPP has been a successful model globally and has become an emerging trend over the last few years.”

DHA is working with Pricewaterhouse Coopers’ Dubai office, a reputed consulting firm which has extensive experience in this field in the Gulf region and globally.

Share/Save

There was a two-day extensive workshop to further enhance the surgical skills of 60 doctors, most of [...]]]>

The Surgery Conference, in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of England, was held in Dubai under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of the DHA.

There was a two-day extensive workshop to further enhance the surgical skills of 60 doctors, most of who work at DHA hospitals.

His Excellency Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority said, “This initiative is in line with our strategy to extend and strengthen cooperation between various international medical organizations such as the esteemed college. This program is aimed at improving the skills of our physicians and promotes a climate of continuous medical education which helps further improve the level of medical services provided to our patients.”

He added “At the Dubai Health Authority, we are fully dedicated to constantly providing training opportunities and seeking international accreditation. Our Medical Education Department works to ensure we regularly provide our physicians the best possible training that meets international standards and keeps them up-to-date with the latest advances in medicine. Therefore this program is of vital importance to us.”

Share/Save

DHA Primary Health Care Sector CEO Dr Ahmad Ebrahim Saif Kalban, said “We have already finished the primary stages which are training efficient doctors and nurses to deal specifically [...]]]>

Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced that it will develop mini-clinics at health centres for treating patients with asthma and raising awareness on how to prevent the disease.

DHA Primary Health Care Sector CEO Dr Ahmad Ebrahim Saif Kalban, said “We have already finished the primary stages which are training efficient doctors and nurses to deal specifically with patients that suffer from respiratory problems.”

DHA Health Affairs Department Director, Dr Nahed Abdul Khaleq Monsef, said, “The purpose of these mini-clinics is to provide more time for asthma patients. Instead of having a 10-minute consultation from the doctors or nurses, the mini-clinics would dedicate more time in treating them and educating the patients about several methods of prevention and treatment — especially educating the patients about asthma triggers, and how to avoid them.”

The mini-clinics would also provide support groups for asthma patients who sometimes needed counseling about their condition.

In addition, an experimental mini -clinic would open in the next two months at DHA’s existing health centre.

Dr Monsef said if the trial was successful, the mini-clinics would be available in all DHA health centres in Dubai.

As part of the campaign to raise awareness about respiratory illnesses, DHA recently set up an education centre at a shopping mall and offered lung tests to visitors.

Independent respiratory nurse specialist Jacqueline Brereton has been supporting the asthma awareness campaign and running a training program to educate nurses and doctors.

Share/Save

The campaign is developed and executed in close collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, one of the leading companies in respiratory medicine.

The campaign which started on May 1, aims to educate asthma patients and the [...]]]>

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) holds a campaign to educate people on asthma, in support of World Asthma Day which falls on May 4.

The campaign is developed and executed in close collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, one of the leading companies in respiratory medicine.

The campaign which started on May 1, aims to educate asthma patients and the general public about asthma, its impact on lives and how it can be managed day-to-day.

“The impact on Asthma especially on young children drastically affects their quality of life because many of them cannot even attend school due to chronic asthma. The problem we face in the UAE is the lack of awareness about this condition,” stated  Dr Ahmad Ibrahim Saif Kalban, CEO of the Primary Healthcare Sector at the DHA.

“For many asthma patients, with the medical know-how we have today, there is no reason why hospitalization should happen unless under extreme circumstances. At times it can be as simple as understanding how best to use your inhaler where the role of the nurse becomes very important in this process,” added Dalia Ibrahim, respiratory marketing manager GSK.

Share/Save

The Greater New York Dental Meeting is an annual event that is being held for the past 85 years in New York – USA, and they have been a key participant [...]]]>

The Greater New York Dental Meeting highlights Dubai’s leading role in Conferences and Exhibitions Industry, in spite of financial challenges, reported by the US delegation.

The Greater New York Dental Meeting is an annual event that is being held for the past 85 years in New York – USA, and they have been a key participant at AEEDC for the past 8 years.

Dr. Robert Edwab, the Executive Director of the Greater New York Dental Meeting was impressed by the support given by the UAE government represented by the Dubai Health Authority to support medical events in Dubai and AEEDC in particular.

Dr. Edwab said “we were delighted by this participation, especially that H.H Sheikh Hamdan visited the U.S joint Department of Commerce – Greater New York Dental Meeting exhibit booth and personally thanked us for our participation”.

Dr. Edwab mentioned in his report that “AEEDC Dubai succeeded in gathering international pavilions from all continents, representing Argentina, Brazil, China, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Iran, Japan, Korea, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States of America.”

He also said that this tremendous turnout reinforces the role of Dubai as a regional hub for major international companies who are looking forward to promoting their products from Dubai to the Middle East and the world market.

Mr. Abdul Salam Al Madani, Executive Chairman of AEEDC Dubai and President of Index Holding said that “AEEDC Dubai 2010 surpassed all the records as the number of exhibitors reached more than 800 specialized companies from 65 countries, and more than 20,000 doctors, participants and trade visitors made presence during the events three days.”

“This is a proof in itself of the continuous success of AEEDC Dubai in general and also emphasizes Dubai’s leading role in the exhibitions and conferences industry, as well as in trading and economy”. Continued Al Madani

Al Madani also added “the UAE International Dental Conference and Arab Dental Exhibition (AEEDC Dubai) is a great opportunity for all dentists and decision makers in the private and public sectors, as it cater their needs of all medical equipments and services displayed by major international companies.”

Share/Save

During the campaign, a team from Municipality Clinic, with the participation of Dubai Health Authority and Dubai Medical [...]]]>

Dubai Municipality conducted a campaign under the name of, “Youth without Smoking.” Activities of the two month campaign, which will culminate with the World No Tobacco Day on 31st May, include three sporting events and involve ten schools.

During the campaign, a team from Municipality Clinic, with the participation of Dubai Health Authority and Dubai Medical College, will conduct medical examinations free of charge for young people and make them aware of the seriousness of the hazards of smoking, which threatens their health and their future.

The campaign aims to educate young people on the risks of smoking and its adverse effects on the individual and the society, especially because most number of smokers are found in this category, who start the practice of smoking during their early stages of life.

Moreover, the campaign stresses on the importance of a healthy lifestyle for the target category based on health habits, healthy food, and sports. It targets the middle school, high school, college and university students and the activities of the campaign will be organized in coordination with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority.

Share/Save

The course was [...]]]>

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced the accreditation of 200 doctors from across Dubai following the Emirates’ First International Diabetes Course organized in collaboration with the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). This is the first time this course has been delivered outside the USA and was supported by the Ministry of Health.

The course was discussed in a DHA press conference yesterday in their headquarters attended by Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim Saif Kalban, CEO, Primary Health Sector at the DHA, Dr. Abdulrazzak Ali Almadani CEO of Dubai Hospital, and Dr. Osama Hamdy, representing AACE from Harvard Medical School.

The CEO of the primary health care sector said that the course is part of the efforts undertaken by the Authority to strengthen its strategic partnerships with various medical institutions at the global level with a view to spreading best therapeutic practices for patients with diabetes and their application in various clinics and centers of Dubai Health Authority’s efforts also focus on the training of doctors and specialists involved in caring for patients with diabetes, in light of the of the increasing prevalence of this disease at the national level, which ranks second globally in terms of incidence of the disease.

Dr. Abdulrazzak Ali Almadani, CEO of Dubai Hospital commented, “The current program marks the first time the AACE has conducted a course outside the US, with the UAE’s high prevalence of diabetes one of the key factors in the decision to reaching out to doctors in the Emirates. About 24 per cent of UAE nationals have diabetes making it the second most affected country in the World after Nauru. It has been the DHA’s strategy to tackle this condition using a multidisciplinary approach and training our primary healthcare physicians is a crucial part of this strategy.”

Ms Heba Al Shaar, Director of Institutional Marketing and Communications and committee-member of the DHA’s diabetes screening and awareness program said that in addition to training primary health care doctors the DHA is also focusing on its two-fold strategy of conducting a massive house-hold screening survey to gauge the average percentage of people in Dubai with diabetes as well as a targeted awareness program which will reach out to school children to educate them about the importance of healthy eating and exercise.

Dr. Nahed Monsef Director of health affairs department, primary health care spoke about the importance of improving standards, and updating doctors’ knowledge and skills which will reflect positively on quality of care on key performance indicators related to diabetes management in primary health care. Dr.Monsef added that, “Patient care in the diabetic mini clinic exceeds international standards in some of our health centers.” Dr. Monsef also announced that the provision of international standards of care provided to diabetic patients and the extension of the training programs to all PHC physicians is a key strategic move for the DHA.

Dr Hamdy is one of a number of leading experts who traveled to the UAE to lead the final stage of the course. Broken down into five core modules and delivered over six months, the program addressed a broad spectrum of diabetes-related issues such as obesity, the prevention of type 2 diabetes, management of cardiovascular risk and hypertension in patients with diabetes as well as numerous diabetic diseases.

Course director and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Osama Hamdy said , “With all the new research, practices and technology available, quality of care for diabetes has radically changed. We want to make sure that GPs are up to date on how to best prevent and manage diabetes, particularly in the UAE where it is such an issue. Our course, alongside numerous ministry of health driven initiatives, will certainly help control both the progression of the disease and its high financial and lifestyle costs.” Dr Hamdy added, “The course has been completed amidst recent debate surrounding Avandia, which physicians have been advised to continue prescribing by the AACE, despite a leaked US Senate report which attempted to counter the FDA’s approved course of action.”

“Sixty one per cent of patients with diabetes in the UAE already have kidney disease,” added Dr Hamdy. “The team will be exploring how to improve this statistic and make sure that we cut the cost to the individual and the overall healthcare system. We will also be sharing some best-practice gathered during the Diabetes Prevention Program, a major multicenter clinical research study conducted in the US. From the study we discovered that participants who lost a modest amount of weight through dietary changes and increased physical activity sharply reduced their chances of developing diabetes. Arming GPs in the UAE with the knowledge to affect this change should have a strongly positive impact on the prevalence of diabetes.”

Share/Save

Medical examinations were conducted for more than 200 employees and it was revealed that 50% of them were carriers of the disease. Hamid Farooq, Consultant Director [...]]]>

Dubai Municipalityin cooperation with Jocelyn Centre for Diabetes recently organized a diabetes check-up campaign, which included a programme for dieting, physical check up, free screening tests for the Municipality staff.

Medical examinations were conducted for more than 200 employees and it was revealed that 50% of them were carriers of the disease. Hamid Farooq, Consultant Director of Jocelyn Centre for Diabetes and nutrition specialists offered the employees with health advices. It is worth mentioning that the campaign was in conformity with the vision and strategy of the Municipality, which cares the health of its employees.

It was also in line with the policy of the Emirate, which works to get rid of diabetes as per the plan of the Ministry of Health. and Dubai Health Authority for 2010-2025 to reduce the incidence of diabetes. It is to be noted that the UAE is the second most affected country in the world and the first among the Gulf and Arab countries in terms of incidence of this disease, as 19.7% of the population is suffering from diabetes.

Elimination of diabetes is not only treatment but following a diet and fitness scheme. Now, the problem is not in diabetes, but in the ratio of hereditary carriers of the disease or with obesity and non-compliance with dieting and physical exercises.

Share/Save