Today's Edition
Huda Al Taniji (Abu Dhabi) - With a focus on the sustainability of the workforce in the health sector, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) has set Emiratisation targets for all healthcare facilities operating in Abu Dhabi Emirate to provide 5,000 new job opportunities for citizens by the end of 2025, revealed DoH Undersecretary, H.E. Dr. Noura Al Ghaithi.
Health Sector Workforce
In an interview with Aletihad, Al Ghaithi explained that the DoH actively strives to empower national talents and involve them in the UAE health sector’s journey. “The Department works closely with healthcare providers to increase Emiratisation rates in the medical professions, which include doctors, nursing staff, allied health professions, and administrative staff that encompass IT sectors, human resources, accounting and finance, legal affairs, and others,” she said.
Today, over 64,000 medical personnel work in Abu Dhabi’s health sector, playing an important role in maintaining community health and well-being.
Malaffi Plaform
Among the Abu Dhabi health sector’s achievements, the successful launch and utilisation of the “Malaffi” platform, the region’s first Health Information Exchange platform, represents a fundamental and vital accomplishment by enhancing operational efficiency and decision-making, Al Ghaiti said.
Since its launch in 2019, the platform has linked 100% of the emirate’s hospitals as well as over 2,700 healthcare facilities. It allows over 48,000 authorised healthcare providers access to over 2 billion medical records for over 7.9 million patients, in accordance with the highest standards of privacy and information security.
“Malaffi” also analyses data using artificial intelligence technologies, assisting in the development of future plans and focus areas.
“The ‘Malaffi’ platform is distinguished from its peers in that it includes patient risk factor profiles based on artificial intelligence analysis and enables the exchange of radiological images. The platform facilitates the exchange of critical health information among healthcare providers in real time, aiming to provide a unified base for patient records… the system helps medical personnel make more enlightened and efficient clinical decisions, and allows for the possibility of transferring and coordinating the location of care, reducing the overuse or repetition of medical examinations and procedures, and improving patient’s security and their experience,” Al Ghaithi said.
Abu Dhabi’s achievements in connecting, analysing, and utilising health data, such as what has been accomplished through the “Malaffi” platform, have placed the emirate as a leading model to be emulated around the world, she noted.
Healthcare Innovation and Startups
In addition to its other areas of focus, DoH also believes in the importance of empowering innovation and accelerating the pace of creativity to shape the future of the sector. Through partnerships with Hub71 and Plug and Play, the department is currently working to empower and support healthcare innovators and start-ups to launch their businesses in the emirate.
“Abu Dhabi hosted more than 70 start-up healthcare companies in 2022, and the economic impact of the healthcare start-ups is over Dh300 million. With the centres of excellence that the department announced recently, we are witnessing an important milestone in the journey of Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector towards achieving more excellence and leadership at the regional and global levels.
"This will undoubtedly contribute to enhancing patients’ experience and improving their therapeutic outcomes,” Al Ghaithi said.
Currently, the emirate hosts 81 DoH-accredited health facilities licensed to conduct scientific research and clinical studies, she added. The DoH’s centres of excellence are specialised, DoH-accredited facilities, distinguished by a high level of expertise, advanced technology, and the newest innovations in healthcare.
These facilities are able to perform complex medical procedures in specialised clinical areas, conduct advanced research, and provide the highest levels of care for patients from Abu Dhabi and beyond.
“The centres of excellence embodies the ongoing efforts of the Health Department - Abu Dhabi to consolidate Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading destination for healthcare, which enhances the competitiveness and efficiency of the healthcare sector in the emirate and ensures the highest standards of healthcare for all patients,” Al Ghaithi added.
The Department chose the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre to be a center of excellence for bone marrow transplantation, and announced Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City as the centres of excellence for the treatment of strokes.
The Department also accredited Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi as a centre of excellence for adult cardiac surgery. When assessing the eligibility of a facility to become a centre of excellence, the DoH focuses on six essential elements: clinical outcomes, patient experience and safety, quality of services provided, satisfaction and engagement of staff at the facility, the facility’s educational and research programmes, and the facility’s residency and training programmes.
The DoH also considers the accreditations and licences obtained by the facility, Al Ghaithi explained. Through the centres of excellence, patients from inside and outside Abu Dhabi will be able to efficiently obtain high quality, specialised healthcare.
In addition to their role in providing the highest quality of care possible for patients, the centres of excellence also help enhance the competitiveness of Abu Dhabi’s health sector, as part of their mission includes advancing medical research, promoting continuous medical education, and providing training opportunities for medical staff and the upcoming generation of young doctors.
