Dubai Healthcare City's Dubai College of Dental Medicine signs scholarship agreement with Julphar

• Memorandum of Understanding will enable UAE Ministry of Health dentists to complete postgraduate programmes at the Dubai College of Dental Medicine
• Signing ceremony attended by His Excellency Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammed Al Owais,
UAE Minister of Health

Dubai, July 9, 2014. Dubai College of Dental Medicine (DCDM), which is part of Dubai Healthcare City’s integrated academic and clinical operations, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries (Julphar) to support UAE Ministry of Health dentists with postgraduate scholarships.

As per the agreement, both parties will support the UAE Ministry of Health by providing specialization through six postgraduate dentistry programmes in periodontics, prosthodontics, endodontics, orthodontics, paediatric dentistry, and oral surgery, offered by DCDM in partnership with UK-based Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSE).

DCDM will accept MOH residents under Julphar’s sponsorship during the next academic year in September 2014.

The signing ceremony took place at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Academic Medical Centre (MBR-AMC) on July 3, 2014.

The MoU was signed by Dr Amer Sharif, Managing Director – Education, and Dr Ayman Sahli, Chief Executive Officer of Julphar, in the presence of His Excellency Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammed Al Owais, UAE Minister of Health; Marwan Abedin, CEO, DHCC; Professor Sehamuddin Galadari, Chairman of DCDM; and dean and faculty members of DCDM.

DCDM is an institution of Dubai Healthcare City, a health and wellness destination that brings together a wealth of services in healthcare, medical education and research.

DCDM operates in two areas – academic and clinical. Through the Dubai Dental Clinic (DDC), its clinical arm, DCDM provides the highest standards of dental care, offering a comprehensive range of specialized services including cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics and periodontal treatment. Through its academic arm DCDM, it offers six postgraduate programmes. Till date, 35 residents have enrolled in Masters programmes across disciplines.

The agreement is in line with Julphar’s 2014 CSR Strategy. Julphar, an Emirati Company, aims to partner with local companies and education facilities to impact all healthcare sectors. Julphar has had a long standing partnership with the American University of Sharjah, providing scholarships in investment in the past. It has also collaborated with health authorities on health awareness campaigns.

Based in Ras Al Khaimah, Julphar is one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturer and distributor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with presence across five continents. Julphar operates twelve state-of-the -art and ISO certified manufacturing facilities globally, and distributes 3,537 registered medical products internationally.

On the occasion, His Excellency Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Health said: “As part of our cooperation with the private sector and belief to enhance societal responsibilities, we seek to provide excellent health services that would serve the programmes and activities of the Ministry of Health.”

“We also wish to complete our comprehensive plans and improve the health services that are provided to all the community members by establishing scientific programmes and plans that would support students and at the same time achieve common and bilateral efforts in coordination with the universities in the UAE. Such cooperation encourages students, coincides with the best international practices, and aims to attract the best expertise and human resources to serve the Ministry’s vision and mission,” said Al Owais.

Dr Amer Sharif, Managing Director – Education, DHCC said: “We are always looking for opportunities to help expand the local talent pool and Julphar’s scholarship grant is another milestone for us. There is a shortage of specialized medical training institutions in the UAE and DHCC aims to bridge this gap. We aim to attract more Emirati as well as foreign students. We look forward to welcoming Ministry of Health applicants to DCDM.”

Dr Ayman Sahli, CEO, Julphar, said, “Julphar is committed to working in alignment with the strategy of the Ministry of Health to improve the wellbeing of our community and enhance the quality of healthcare in the UAE. The MoU we are signing is another instance where local companies can partner together to create unique value for the healthcare industry. We are delighted that our support will enable students to benefit from the top quality education which the Dubai College Dental Medicine offers, and for them to contribute from their side to the quality of dentistry and overall healthcare in the UAE.”