Dubai Health Authority(DHA) signs historic agreement with Berlin for collaboration in trauma and orthopaedic surgery training.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, September 14, 2014: The Dubai Health Authority signed on Sunday a historic agreement with Berlin for collaboration in trauma and orthopaedic surgery training.

The agreement, paves the way for resident doctors in Dubai to complete their six year German board residency training program in  trauma and orthopaedic surgery without having to go abroad for the first five years. This essentially means, the Chamber of Physicians in Berlin and the German Orthopaedic Board, have recognized, for the first time, an international health facility to be at par with the health services provided by German health facilities.

At the end of six years,  DHA resident doctors will receive a German Board specialization after fulfilling the necessary requirements.

HE Eng. Essa Al Maidoor Director-General of the DHA, said: “This is a moment of pride for us. This is the first time the German Board has signed such an agreement with an international health entity. The agreement opens up the doors for our doctors in Dubai to seek specialization in trauma and orthopaedic surgery in Dubai while ensuring they get a German Board Qualification. The program is mirrored to follow the German program, meaning our doctors will seek an international qualification without having to move abroad for several years.”

Al Maidoor: added: “The Trauma Centre in Dubai provides high-level of quality care and we are proud of this affiliation. For us, at the DHA, human-resource building is of vital importance so that we can keep up with population growth as well as fulfil human resource requirement when the new projects are completed.”

He added that continuous medical education and human resource development are important pillars, particularly for the health sector.

Rd. Med. Günther Jonitz, President of Chamber of Physicians in Berlin seconded this opinion. He said: “Human capital is the most valuable resource and cooperation as well as continuous medical education is important to ensure better patient outcomes.  This is a pilot project, a new way of cooperation and in future, this can be the blue print for cooperation in other medical specialities as well.

Dr. Jamal Al Mulla, Director of the program and consultant trauma surgeon at Rashid Hospital’s Trauma and Emergency Centre, said: “The program is in accordance with the German regulations for specialist training of the Berlin Chamber of Physicians and after satisfactory completion of the six years program, the graduates will be German Board certified and will attain membership to the Berlin Chamber of Physicians.  Thus, the program is equivalent to going abroad and studying there.”

He added as part of the program German consultants will visit Dubai twice a year from the German Trauma and Orthopaedic Society and that the program will be audited twice a year as well.

Dr. Bilal El Yafawi, co-director of the program and consultant ortho-trauma at Rashid Hospital’s Trauma and Emergency centre, said: “Our medical residents will spend five years at the Trauma Centre and they will study in Berlin for the last year. The program offers the right mix of practical and theoretical experience and once the doctors complete their specialization they will work at the Trauma Centre as a specialist registrar in Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery.”