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Healthcare is a right and gets highest priority: Mohammed Staff Reporter / 5 February 2014 VP calls on all the local and federal healthcare facilities to unite efforts to provide best medical treatment. Receiving quality healthcare services is a right for every Emirati as it is directly related to the society’s welfare and happiness, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said on Tuesday, adding that citizens’ health hence would get the highest priority. Shaikh Mohammed instructed that practical measures should be placed in action to apply the national regular medical checkups programme for all citizens. He called on all the local and federal healthcare facilities to unite efforts to provide best medical treatment and to raise the UAE healthcare sector to the international standards. Shaikh Mohammed and Minister of Health Abdul Rahman Al Owais at the Government Innovation Lab sessions at JW Marriott in Dubai on Tuesday. — Wam Shaikh Mohammed’s remarks came during his participation in the Government Innovation Lab organised by the Ministry of Health at the JW Marriott Hotel in Dubai. Pursuant to directives from the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Shaikh Mohammed urged stakeholders in the public and private healthcare sector to unify their efforts to develop the medical services, construct a quality healthcare system and provide best services to people aiming to improve the quality of life. In the presence of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Health; and Essa Al Maidoor, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, Shaikh Mohammed exchanged ideas with participants and listened to their views about the development of healthcare services in the UAE. Shaikh Mohammed issued directives to launch the implementation phase of the mobile healthcare services programme to provide services in remote areas, especially for senior citizens. “I want to deliver healthcare services to people wherever they are, and I do not want any citizen to suffer in this aspect as it is the government’s duty to reach people at any time and in any place and provide medical treatment with the same quality we provide in other government services,” he said. During his visit to the Government Innovation Lab, Shaikh Mohammed approved a study for the establishment of a specialised medical training centre, and directed stakeholders to speed up the process to complete the establishment of the centre to provide continuing training programmes for medical cadres and train them on the latest developments the medical field. He also reviewed recommendations of a study conducted on the national regular medical checkups programme. “The UAE Government utilises its full capacity to support creative and applicable initiatives that shall contribute to achieving the community’s health and happiness and assuring quality healthcare services for citizens, in the fastest way possible,” Shaikh Mohammed said. He lauded the efforts of the team that complete the medical cadres’ standardisations unification initiative. The team was composed of the Abu Dhabi Health Authority, the Dubai Health Authority and the Ministry of Health. Shaikh Mohammed also praised the interactive response of the Ministry of Health with the instructions and initiatives that he launched through the Government Innovation Lab held recently at Sir Bani Yas. Initiatives aiming to improve healthcare services launched after the Cabinet retreat include: – Approving the launching of the mobile healthcare programme to serve citizens in remote areas specially senior citizens. – Launching a programme to evaluate hospitals and medical practices. – Approving the national regular medical checkups programme. – Establish specialised professional cadre for the public healthcare sector and develop occupational path. – Unify accreditation procedures for medical doctors and healthcare workers nationwide. – Introduce unified national standards for hospitals in the UAE. – Launching the cancer screening programme aiming to diagnose and treat cancer in its early stages. – Approving the establishment of national database for all medical records to facilitate patients’ transferring between hospitals. – Approving a set of procedures to control obesity and encourage healthy lifestyle. – Introduce a strategy to establish a medical research and development centre in cooperation with academia. – Establish a unified national record for cancer patients. – Launching the UAE Board as regional reference for all medical specialisations. – Launch a specialised training centre, with international standards, to train and qualify workers in the medical field. – Increase the appeal of nursing as a profession and introduce a programme to attract nationals to this occupation. – Launch a comprehensive programme to increase awareness about healthy lifestyles as preventive measure. – Establish unified standards for healthy diet in public and private schools. news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Taylor Scott International
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