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This initiative is part of MoH new strategy, which started at the beginning of the year and included various initiatives set to revolutionize administration, technical and financial health care systems, the establishment of an electronic health information system linking all federal and local health establishments, building a database of health information and scientific evidence, as well as the implementation of a new medical records system in health institutions.
"This is a pioneering project which is the first of its kind in the Middle East and which is in line with the world's most advanced public health care regimes that will set new standards in one of the most valued facets of our society." said His Excellency Humaid Mohamed Al Qutami, Minister of Health, during the signing of the project's implementation contract in InterContinental Hotel Dubai Festival City.
"MoH has launched Wareed, the electronic initiative designed to enhance internal and external care for patients in the public health care sector across Dubai and the Northern Emirates. This move will seamlessly integrate14 public hospitals and 68 affiliate clinics across the country under a single centralized platform that will manage patient information and deliver the full spectrum of public healthcare services in accordance with global best practices". His Excellency added.
The Minister added: "The project will be rolled out over three years with the first two hospitals scheduled to come on line by mid 2009. Every three months thereafter two hospitals along with the affiliated primary care centers will go live with the system. All 14 hospitals and 68 affiliated clinics will be fully utilizing the system by October 2011".
His Excellency explained that Project 'Wareed' is based on a technological platform that will virtually link all public sector medical establishments across the six emirates and automate all healthcare processes across radiology, pathology, pharmacy, surgery, emergency and registration departments, supported by high-end data centers and network infrastructure.
The primary objective of Wareed is to enhance health care, increase the public's confidence in health care services, and to provide rapid and modern health care services.
"The UAE government supported this three-year project as part of its strategic objectives to improve interaction and enhance the quality of care that the general public and patients receive at public hospitals. It is also deemed as a catalyst of positive change that will dramatically improve access to vital, accurate and critical patient information by physicians, medical personnel and health care administrators, thus minimizing potential risks". HE added.
Al Qutami commented: "Wareed is yet another testament to the UAE government's commitment in providing our residents with the best-of-breed public sector services that improve efficiencies and enhance lifestyles. We are confident that this investment will quickly bring many tangible benefits to the residents of the UAE and meet end-users' demand for a more efficient public health sector in line with UAE's global image as a country that cares for the needs of its citizens and residents".
"As physicians gain unfettered and faster access to medical records, Wareed will bring about improved in-patient and out-patient care whilst acting as an additional barrier against the possibility of medication errors. Furthermore, it will increase confidence levels in the overall quality and efficiency of the public healthcare system," the Minister added.
His Excellency praised the effective cooperation of the organizations which participated in preparing the project's initial study, and the efforts of Dubai Healthcare City to support the research and studies of MoH database.
The extensive scale of this initiative, which is further complemented by a similar Abu Dhabi-government led initiative that rolled out in August this year, will eventually lead to healthcare connectivity throughout the UAE.
MoH assigned Hybrid Health Solutions (HHS), a Dubai-based project management and solution providers, to manage the project, which will be implemented by a consortium of internationally renowned healthcare technology providers led by leading IT systems integration and consultancy Company, iCapital.
The consortium includes system providers, Cerner Corporation, a leading US IT Healthcare specialist, Gulf Business Machines (GBM), that will provide the hardware and networking infrastructure for Wareed, and Mubadala-owned, Injazat Data Systems, which will support Wareed with the data center infrastructure and management.
H.E. Ahmed Saeed Al Badi, Chairman, iCapital said:
"We feel extremely privileged to have been chosen by the UAE government to contribute to this national healthcare initiative which is in line with iCapital's strategic direction and mission to provide vital infrastructure solutions to the UAE community. Together with the support, know-how and expertise of all our partners we firmly believe that Wareed will be a major milestone towards the transformation of the UAE's healthcare system."
Dr. Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Atar, Managing Director, HHS, said: "This is a highly complex and extensive technology-led project that will bring immediate and tangible benefits to millions of people interacting with the UAE public sector hospitals. Wareed will be the heartbeat of the UAE's network of public hospitals and clinics," he said. "We are confident that this project will change the map of healthcare in the region."
Wareed will encompass the modernization of computer equipment and office applications across all the medical facilities involved in the project, provision of centralized help desks manned by professional support staff, and the launch of a web portal to provide a gateway for electronic interaction between the public, patients, physicians and hospital staff.
Posted by Eman Hassan
