Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
The Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) Global Meeting, which concluded in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, offered a valuable opportunity for collaboration, networking and knowledge-sharing, said Glenn Keys, founder of Aspen Medical, an integrated healthcare services provider.
Speaking to Aletihad, Keys affirmed the company's role as a private emergency medical team among 49 globally, supporting disaster management and humanitarian efforts.
Keys noted that Aspen has established a long-standing partnership with the UAE.
"The UAE has an amazing health strategy and a clear vision for the future, setting an example for many countries worldwide. Aspen Medical is proud to have been involved in the UAE for over a decade, with a significant commitment during COVID."
Aspen Medical operates globally, supporting both public health systems and crisis response, he said.
In Ukraine, for example, they are providing trauma training, prosthetics, and mental health support for war victims, training 320 specialists and helping 400 amputees, according to Keys.
Discussing the trends in the sector, Keys noted that the first priority is integrating EMTs with each other and private providers to scale up or down as needed.
"We also need to address how climate change impacts disasters and community health, and integrate public and private sector capabilities to deliver seamless solutions," he added.
He underlined the role of technology in emergency medical response, stating: "Virtual health and AI are critical to the future of care. For example, AI can analyse X-rays, identifying conditions like tuberculosis, allowing us to screen entire communities in a day."
He further stressed the importance of collaboration across private, public, and NGO sectors to address healthcare challenges, citing the example of their work in Iraq with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners.
He also noted that addressing mental health needs is becoming integral to EMT work. "It is really critical that you can't just treat the physical, you must treat the mental."
Keys said that they now deploy mental health nurses and psychologists to support those on the ground, adding that this approach is expected to grow as global conflicts and disasters proliferate.
He pointed out that Aspen Medical's future in the UAE and region involves offering holistic healthcare solutions by integrating technology and services to boost productivity and accelerate recovery, both in work environments and during disaster response.
"We are bringing what we know globally to the region. This approach - combining health needs with technology and collaboration - is the future of healthcare," he added.
With over 1,300 participants from across 140 countries, this edition of the EMT Global Meeting has been the largest yet.
Organised by the Department of Health in partnership with the WHO and supported by the UAE Ministry of Health, the event brought together 500 global leaders in emergency medicine and disaster response to advance the WHO EMT 2030 strategy.
