H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum visits Dubai Health ...

He was accompanied by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and Sheikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Airline and Group, and Chairman of Dubai's Supreme Fiscal Committee.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed was received by His Excellency Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority.

Al Murooshid provided an overview of the system and said that the online system will be applicable for obtaining licenses to practice in the health sector. He said the move is a significant leap of progress and will ensure a completely paperless environment for the health licensing system.

The process of verifying credentials will also be done electronically. "DHA will be able to verify the qualifications and certifications of doctors online," Al Murooshid highlighted that the fully automated licensing system is the first of its kind in the Middle East.

"With the implementation of this system, healthcare professionals can apply for a license to practice in the Emirate of Dubai from anywhere in the world," said Al Murooshid, "They can submit their applications online, the process of credentialing, which involves verifying their qualifications, experience etc will be completely online and candidates will be notified whether they have been granted a license to practice or not. This procedure is a completely paperless environment; it saves time and is cost effective because healthcare practitioners no longer need to come to Dubai to apply for a license or take exams."

Dr Ramadan Ibrahim, Director of DHA Health Regulation elaborated, "Healthcare facilities can now ask potential candidates to undertake the online procedure from their home country and they can issue their visa once the candidate has passed all the requirements and is eligible to practice in Dubai. This system will simplify the health regulatory procedures and will be highly beneficial for the medical sector of the Emirate."

Healthcare professionals can undertake their examination from 300 centers located across 130 countries.

Dr Ramadan also highlighted that the same online procedure is applicable for potential investors. "Investors who are keen to set up a health facility in Dubai, can submit their applications online, they can provide the details of their specific project online. Our inspectors will visit the potential facility and if it meets all the rules and regulations, we will grant the license."

Dr Ibrahim said that in the future DHA health regulation inspections will issue fines and register violations on health facilities online. "Health inspectors will be able to do this using an I-phone or I-pad applications and we will inform the facilities through the online system."

He highlighted that the move to develop a completely online health licensing system is in line with the Dubai Health Strategy 2011-2013 to ensure a quantum leap of progress in the health sector.

Sheikh Mohammed was briefed about the launch of the DHA i-Phone and i-Pad application which the authority will shortly introduce.

Mubaraka Ibrahim, Director of Information Technology at the DHA said, "The i-Phone and i-Pad application will have a host of useful features for the public. We will begin by introducing key features and we will constantly upgrade the features over the course of the year."

The DHA also launched the social media pages including Facebook and Twitter at Gitex. Ibrahim said, "The social media forum is an extension of the e-services which we provide to the community. It will be an interactive medium for the public."

Heba Al Shaar, Director of Institutional Marketing and Communications at the DHA said, "The aim of launching the DHA social media forum is to provide an interactive public platform for the community as well as to inform them about all our initiatives, latest news and events. We would also like to use the social media forum to highlight humanitarian health initiatives such as the blood donation campaign as well as disseminate news and information."

Speaking about the features of the i-Phone and i-Pad applications, Ibrahim said the features will allow users to view appointment details, medical tests results, health card details. Moreover users will be able to search a facility, check their BMI( Body Mass Index) and view all the DHA news and events.

Khawla Lootah, Head of Corporate Applications Section, IT department at the DHA said, "In addition to this, we also have a feature for parents to view their children's vaccination details. They can synchronize these details with their calendar to receive alerts every time their child's vaccination is due. This is one of the most useful features we have introduced."

Sheikh Mohammed also visited the DHA Medical Fitness Services section during his tour of the DHA stand at Gitex.

Maisa Al Bustani, Director of Medical Fitness highlighted the DHA e-application which is an easy and convenient option for users. She said users can also pay for these services electronically by using a debit or credit card. She said the system ensures efficiency and is one of the various convenient options the medical fitness centre offers to its customers.

She also highlighted that DHA has recently introduced the VIP services ( 24 hours and 48 hours) in two more centres, which are the Al Muhaisnah and Satwa Medical fitness centre. From January until August 2011, Bustani said that 23,978 people have used the 24 hours medical fitness service, 56,936 individuals used the 48 hours service. The VIP service ensures individuals get their results with 24 to 48 hours, depending on the VIP option selected.

She highlighted that 5,263 people had used the Tawajud medical fitness services in 2010, this service is a door-to-door service, whereby DHA employees visit the office or home of the individual who has requested this service and conduct the medical tests. She said this service ensures convenience for companies and individuals. "We have many companies who regularly use this service because it ensures that their employees do not need to leave their premises to get a medical fitness test. It is a convenient option, especially for companies with a large number of employees."

She also highlighted that the total number of medical fitness tests from January until August 2011 were 763152.

Source: http://www.ameinfo.com/277450.html

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