World Health Day Forum highlights challenges in healthcare workforce

The Forum addressed the challenges currently being faced in the healthcare profession in the country, and expressed commitment to the development of the healthcare workforce by all healthcare and education leaders from all over the country.

World Health Day is celebrated globally on 7th April each year to raise awareness of specific global health issues. This year's unique theme, 'Working Together for Health', focuses on drawing attention to the global health workforce crisis and celebrating the dignity and value of working for health.

Workshops, which were held subsequent to the forum, were attended by randomly selected physicians, nurses, allied health and other healthcare professionals and reflected the pilot study on the employee satisfaction survey that will be distributed to all healthcare professionals on a national level.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is a chronic global shortage of health workers, as a result of decades of underinvestment in their education, training, salaries, working environment and management. These measures have led to a severe lack of key skills, rising levels of career switching and early retirement, as well as national and international migration.

His Excellency Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, the UAE Minister of Health, acknowledged that there is a massive need to build calibers with a strong medical background in order to create a challenging environment.

Speaking about the UAE's efforts towards the health sector, Al Qutami communicated, 'The Ministry of Health is keen on developing an effective health strategy that meet the needs of the UAE society, providing people with the best medical services, as well as rehabilitating and training its healthcare workers.'

'The theme of this year's World Health Day gives us all an opportunity to celebrate the remarkable contribution made by health workers to the development of humankind. The forum today brings together leaders from the UAE and gives them the opportunity to address the topic and show commitment to improve the issues in the healthcare sector,'

stated Ahmad Sharaf, Senior Vice President, Energy and Healthcare.

The UAE has achieved number of milestones in the health field represented in the growing number of hospitals, medical centers and with the inception of the Dubai Healthcare city, which will be the regional hub of excellence in the fields of medical services, research, medical education and life science research and development not only in the UAE, but also across the Middle East.

Sharaf added that 'DHCC will cater accordingly to the number of health professionals and workers who will highly contribute in developing the sector'.

The UAE has one the best healthcare systems in the region. With the launch of Dubai Healthcare City, the region's first integrated healthcare free zone, the system is expected to provide a wide range of coverage for the healthcare industry, paving the way for advances in medical research, clinical care, pharmaceutical development and surgical innovation. DHCC will house nursing schools, teaching hospitals, training programs and seminars, along with postgraduate institutes that will allow for the continuous advancement and training of healthcare professionals.