Ministry of Health officials visit the DHA to get an overview of DHA's health strategy

The Dubai Health Authority is the strategic health authority for the Emirate of Dubai and is empowered to set health policy and strategy for Dubai.

Dr. El Daw Suliman, Head of Strategic Planning at the DHA provided the delegates an overview of the health strategy and policy for the Emirate of Dubai and Dr Younis Kazim, Medical Director of Rashid Hospital provided them information about the functioning of the Trauma centre and Rashid Hospital. The delegates visited all the departments of Rashid hospital and the trauma centre.

Dr. El Daw Suliman, Head of Strategic Planning at the DHA, said:

"The DHA's mission is to ensure access to health services, maintain and improve the quality of these services, improve the health status of nationals, residents and visitors and to oversee a dynamic, efficient and innovative health sector. These four themes - access, quality, health improvement and innovation - run through the DHA's strategic plan and form a common thread tying together all the DHA's various activities in service delivery, regulation, funding, education and public health."

Dr Younis Kazim, Medical Director of Rashid Hospital provided the delegates information about the Trauma centre, which is recognised not only in Dubai, but also in the Middle East region. It is the nerve-centre for all accident and emergency cases in Dubai and receives a high patient in-flow due to its specialisation in trauma cases and wound management.

Dr Kazim took the delegates through the procedures followed at Rashid Hospital such as the electronic Health Information System (HIS), which is used in the Intensive Care Unit(ICU) and records all the patient details electronically. He mentioned the importance of a paperless environment and said that the hospital is working towards establishing an electronic medical record system for all its departments. He also provided details about DHA's vision to ensure that all hospitals and primary health centres are connected to each other electronically.

Dr Kazim took the delegates through the various specialities at the hospital such as the cardiology department, rehabilitation department, mammography clinic, respiratory unit, major and minor surgery theatres etc.

He said that in 2008, the hospital increased the number of beds to 559 and in 2010 they will further increase capacity, to make Rashid Hospital a 711-bed hospital.

The hospital conducted 6,902 operations until September this year and in 2008 the hospital performed 9,630 operations.

Ahmed bin Abbad, Deputy Director of Fujairah Hospital, Mr Abdullah Salem, Administrator at Dibba Hospital, Naser Al Zehmi, Head of Public Relations at the Fujairah Medical Zone, Dr Ayesha Abdulla, Head of Primary Health Care Centre, Fujairah Medical Zone, Dr Ayesha Al Zuyudi, Assistant Medical Director, Fujairah Hospital, Sahar Al Awadi, Head of Maintenance Department, Fujairah Hospital and Fatima Humaid, Head of Statistics at Fujairah Medical Zone are the delegates from the Ministry of Health who visited the DHA.