H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum launches ‘Dubai Smart Healthcare Model' at GITEX 2013.

United Arab Emirates, Dubai, October 23, 2013:  His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai officially launched the ‘Dubai Smart Healthcare Model' during his tour of GITEX 2013.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed was received by His Excellency Engineer Essa Al Maidoor, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority.

Al Maidoor provided an overview of the  AED 250 million project and said that the three main components include: smart applications, smart operations and smart hospitals.

He said: “In line with the Smart Government initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the DHA has chalked out a roadmap towards total IT solutions that will significantly enhance not only customer experience but also the manner in which healthcare is delivered and managed. The way this model is developed ensures the use of smart health services, every step of the way.”

He said the AED 250 million project includes the implementation of EMR( Electronic Medical Records)  and HIS( Hospital Information System) and that these two initiatives will be completed within the next two years.

Al Maidoor elaborated and said that  the roadmap towards total IT solutions will significantly enhance customer experience and that the DHA has designed smart services before, during and after a patient's visit to any of the DHA healthcare facilities. “Smart apps involve communication with customers before they visit our hospitals, smart hospitals ensure that when they visit us, the patient journey is enhanced through the use of advanced technology such as  touch screens, tablets etc. which empowers customers by providing services and information at their fingertips. And Smart operations ensures that all internal operations including all administration work is paperless.”

Al Maidoor said that incorporating smart IT services is the need of the hour, given how technology savvy customers are. He said that smart services will help provide high level of customer satisfaction which is at the heart of the Dubai Health Strategy 2013-2025.

Ahmed AlOmari, Acting head of  IT at the DHA said: “Once customers enter the hospital facilities they will be greeted with several smart services such as a interactive smart screens, tablets in waiting areas etc. to ensure they have a pleasant customer experience. The DHA Smart Hospitals initiative focuses on maximizing the customer experience when they visit DHA facilities. The objective is to empower customer with applications and devices so they have access to entertainment and educational activities at their fingertips.”

He said one of the main features of the smart hospitals will be the SmartDesk which is a prototype application and device that uses advanced touch screen technologies to provide excellent experience to our patients.

Omari elaborated and said: “Once the patient enters the hospital premises, they can self-check-in by placing their identification card on the smartdesk. The desk provides all details of the person as well as a host of features such as hospital services, maps and hospital information etc. Payment can also be done online and patient's will receive their prescriptions on their smart phones.”

Omari said that doctors will also be provided with smart desks so that doctors  can view complete patient profile and history and patients will be able to copy certain information and images onto their smartphone.

Besides smart hospital, the  second component of this project is smart apps which provides customers with a host of convenient features through the smart apps.

Omari said the DHA has several useful applications that can be downloaded using a Smartphone, and that the apps are compatible with all platforms. He said that the authority has added several new features to the existing apps to further enhance customer experience. “Among the several initiatives are apps that allow customers to view prescriptions, get prescription alerts, the apps also provide details about healthcare packages available for the public including women's health, smoking packages and diabetes packages. Moreover patents can synchronize their children's vaccination schedules to get timely alerts.”

The third component of this system is smart operations and that includes the use of technology to facilitate internal operations with an aim to improve efficiencies.