Dubai Health Authority strategy implementation teams meet to discuss progress.

• DHA Director-General emphasizes need to focus on managerial and planning aspects of work to ensure employees work in tandem to achieve vision and mission of DHA strategy
• Dubai Health Strategy 2016-2021 has 15 programs and 96 initiatives that fall under these programs. 
• Initiatives divided into three waves: immediate, medium and long-term.
• Leaders for the 15 programs discuss progress, leaders include members from the private sector.

Dubai, UAE, September 28, 2016:  The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) strategy implementation teams met today to discuss the progress of the initiatives of the Dubai Health Strategy 2016-2021.

The strategy has 15 programs and 96 initiatives that fall under these programs and the initiatives are divided into three waves: immediate, medium and long-term.

His Excellency Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, addressed the team members during an update meeting that took place at Park Hyatt Dubai.  He highlighted the need for employees to focus on managerial and planning aspects of work to ensure employees work in tandem to achieve the vision and mission of the DHA strategy.

Al Qatami highlighted that the aim of the Authority is to ensure smooth implementation of the strategy and to see its successful completion by 2021. “The strategy is extremely comprehensive, is in line with international best practices and was chalked out after a clear understanding of the gaps and strengths of the current health sector in Dubai. As and when the initiatives are implemented, we begin to see its positive impact on patients, healthcare professionals, facilities and the overall health sector in Dubai.”

Progress updates were provided for several of the initiatives in the strategy. 

DHA-wide patient medical record project:
The Dubai Health Authority’s (DHA’s) electronic patient medical record project known as Salama  is on track and will go live in 2017.

The DHA-wide project will ensure electronic patient medical record is available across the DHA health facilities.  Additionally, it will help provide patients access to their medical record through a patient portal. The project will ensure every patient visiting a DHA health facility has an electronic medical file, which will be accessible across DHA hospitals and health centres.

Focus on urgent-care model across primary healthcare centres
After the successful implementation of 24 hour urgent care facilities in DHA’s Al Barsha and Nad Al Hamar health centres, the DHA is working on initiatives to see how it can be implemented across other primary healthcare centres.

Al Qatami added that the strategy was designed after extensive stakeholder engagement including feedback and suggestions from 13,000 DHA staff members, the private sector, the public through social media channels and local governmental authorities.

Some of the key features of the strategy is the focus on prevention and healthy lifestyle, public health and safety, primary care, chronic disease management, private and public partnership and investment, improve governance of the health sector and medical tourism.

The fifteen programs of the strategy are:

• Care model innovation
• Prevention and healthy lifestyle
• Primary care
• Dental care
• Mental and behavioral disorders
• Medical tourism
• Chronic disease management
• Excellence, quality and patient experience
• Centres of excellence including clinical research 
• Workforce and medical education
• Governance
• Data and technology( medical informatics)
• Insurance and health financing
• PPP and investment

The updated strategy aligns with Dubai strategic plan 2021, the national UAE plan, key stakeholders as well as addresses evolving external environment matters.