United Arab Emirates, Dubai : In line with this year’s international healthcare quality week, the Dubai Health Authority organized a day-long awareness seminar and exhibition to highlight the importance of quality as a fundamental goal in the field of healthcare and health management to help further improve patient outcomes.

The event organized by the Governance and Internal Audit Department at the DHA.

His Excellency Khalid Al Sheikh Mubarak, Deputy Director-General of the DHA inaugurated the ceremony and said that the aim of holding such an event is to educate  all  the healthcare professionals practicing within the DHA including doctors, nurses, technicians and administrative staff, about the importance of ensuring sustained quality in line with the principles of the Dubai Government Excellence Program.

He said, “The importance of quality in improving patient care outcomes and healthcare delivery systems is of pivotal importance. Through this event we will create awareness and encourage our healthcare professionals about the importance of complying with the standards of the Dubai Government Excellence Program.”

He highlighted that DHA employees as well as the management have in the past won DGEP awards for quality and excellence.

Dr Mohammad Al Olama, CEO of the Hospital Services Sector said, “We are keen to inform all DHA employees about the requirements for achieving the DGEP award as well as international accreditations such as the Joint Certification International Accreditation( JCIA) which are all aimed to improve the quality of healthcare which we provide to the population of our Emirate. The DHA pays strong emphasis to such benchmarks as they are important to provide high level of sustained quality healthcare.”

In 2009, the DHA won the distinguished management initiative award for obtaining the JCIA for its three hospitals- Al Wasl, Dubai and Rashid as well as the Thalassemia centre. Later the Airport Medical Centre of DHA which is based at the Dubai International Airport also received the JCIA for ambulatory care making it the world’s

first medical centre to achieve this accreditation. Furthermore, DHA employees also received the DGEP award in 2010 for various categories such as creative employee award, distinguished employee award as well as the shared government employee award.

Dr Abdulla Al Khayat, CEO of Al Wasl Hospital also highlighted Al Wasl Hospital’s role in complying with WHO and UNICEF standards which led to the hospital being conferred the, ‘Baby-Friendly,’ hospital status by UNICEF.

Dr. Zakaria Al Attal , Director of Quality & Performance Department, Hospital Services Sector, DHA said, “Benchmarking oneself with the criterions of the DGEP and international accreditations is essential to ensure that the healthcare services we provide to our population meets international standards. We are certain that such awareness initiatives will further motivate our healthcare professionals to meet and excel these standards.”

Gulf Healthcare International, the Dubai medical services provider, plans to invest AED100m ($27m) in opening six branded clinics and acquiring 11 clinics aimed at lower-income patients.

The company aims to tap into the significant number of UAE residents without healthcare insurance by offering no-frills medical care, CEO Mark Adams said Sunday.

“It’s is an area that we believe has some challenges,” he told Arabian Business. “Around 50 to 60 percent of your patients don’t have access to health insurance. So you have got to balance the right level of clinical ability with a high-volume, low-margin business model.”

GHI last week said two private equity funds held by JP Morgan Asset Management had taken a stake in the company, replacing Dubai-based Varkey Group as a shareholder.

The value and size of the stake was not disclosed.

The healthcare firm also plans to roll out six high-end clinics under the ‘Amber’ brand by the first quarter of 2012, the first of which opened its doors Sept 15 in Deira. The second centre is scheduled to open in Sharjah in Dec, with a third slated to launch in Ras Al Khaimah in Jan.

“We have been developing the concept of large polyclinics with minor surgery, endoscopic suites, physiotherapy rehabilitation and up to 20 doctors practicing under one roof, said chief operating officer Linda Marshall.

Mafraq, Tawam and SKMC win plaudits at ceremony for projects improving healthcare excellence

Abu Dhabi, 16 August 2011

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SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Healthcare Services Company, recognized the healthcare providers under its ambit for projects to better healthcare delivery, in an awards ceremony held recently at Khalidya Palace. Mr. Carl Stanifer, CEO of SEHA, was at hand to present awards to winners in the Platinum, Gold and Silver categories.

The awards ceremony recognized transformational projects undertaken by SEHA’s hospitals and healthcare providers, awarding Platinum recognition to Mafraq for adopting the EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) model to improve healthcare delivery standards.

Tawam Hospital was awarded the Gold award for setting up a successful cultural paradigm shift in its surgical admissions process, while SKMC bagged the prize in the Silver category for its efforts in setting up a teaching hospital that encourages research and human capital development. 

Project submissions were evaluated through an assessment processed in line with American Society for Quality (ASQ) standards. Projects were ranked based on pre-defined Platinum, Gold and Silver award categories, and winners were chosen in each. Six panelists judged the submitted Transformational Events; the panel included 2 doctors from Zayed Military Hospital, a professor from FMHS/UAE University, 2 doctors from Dubai Health Authority, and a doctor from King Fahad Specialist Hospital and President of the ACHE-MENA. The first round saw 8 projects initially submitted, of which three were short-listed as potential winners.

“A transformational project significantly improves quality through a comprehensive ongoing approach to healthcare delivery excellence. It enhances service and has the potential to improve customer and stakeholder satisfaction through a cost effective alignment of people, process and technology,” Carl Stanifer, CEO, SEHA.
 
“A successful transformational project supports SEHA’s vision of world class healthcare, and facilitates our aim of offering safe, effective, patient-centered, efficient, equitable and measurable care for individual patients and populations,” he added.

“It was an outstanding idea by SEHA to engage their hospitals in the enhancement of excellence in patient care and other related areas. By involving healthcare providers and offering incentives, SEHA ensures they easily identify themselves with SEHA’s vision and mission. By giving the hospitals a chance to bring their own ideas for enhancing excellence, not only did own employees’ satisfaction improve, but there will also be a knock-on effect that will enhance patient satisfaction. Not just that, but productivity at hospitals will also increase by letting them implement their own initiatives” Ruth D Langer MD PhD- Professor of Radiology, Vice Dean of the FMHS

Projects were awarded on the criteria of being systematic, well developed and fact based, well deployed, effective, innovative, sustainable and replicable. The last criteria measures whether the project could be implemented in other settings to yield similar benefits, or be submitted for publication in a peer reviewed journal.

“I was delighted to see the professional yet friendly competition among hospitals, which is seldom seen in the region these days. We are confident that other healthcare institutes and organizations in the GCC will follow SEHA’s initiatives and best practices,” said Dr.Khalid Shukri- President American College Healthcare Executives Middle East and North Africa (ACHE-MENA), Saudi Arabia.
 
 “SEHA is playing a unique role in managing the public health sector of Abu Dhabi Emirate through partnerships with recognized international companies to facilitate international healthcare standards within SEHA’s hospitals,” said Shamsa Al Mehairi, Excellence Project Lead, SEHA.

“We are looking to implement knowledge transfer events to ensure everyone can benefit from shared expertise, and that innovative solutions by a healthcare provider can be transferred elsewhere to benefit the entire system. The awards ceremony was part of this strategy of knowledge sharing, fostering healthy competition between healthcare service providers to collectively reach a world class level of service excellence in healthcare,” she concluded.

Move to bolster cooperation in healthcare education, research and knowledge development

Abu Dhabi, 20 July 2011:

SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Authority, has signed an MOU with the UAE University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Services (FMHS) to enable collaboration in the development of health services, health education and scientific research at SEHA’s teaching hospitals and their affiliated clinics.

The move comes as SEHA addresses the need to improve the clinical education and training of medical students, interns, resident, physicians and healthcare professionals as per its mission of offering healthcare provision and research on par with international standards.

“The MoU with FMHS is an excellent step that will see two world class institutes work in collaboration to extend the spirit and letter of academic research and education in healthcare. SEHA has a mission to develop healthcare infrastructure and knowledge that is on par with international standards, and our association with FMHS will allow employees and students to benefit from rigorous study and development,” said H.E. Saif Bader Al Qubaisi, Chairman and Managing Director, SEHA.

The MOU signing, held at offices of SEHA, was attended by an FMHS delegation that included Professor Mohamed Yousif Baniyas, Vice Provost for Medical Sciences and Dean of Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences; Professor Ruth Langer, Associate Dean; Professor Sehamuddin Galadari, Assistant Dean for Scientific Research and Graduate Studies; Professor Mutairu Ezimokhai, Assistant Dean for Education and Academic Affairs; Dr Leena Amiri, Assistant Dean for Student and Alumni Affairs; Dr Suleiman Al-Hammadi, Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs and Medical Director, Emirates Health Services; and Dr Iain Blair, Interim Director, Global Health Research Institute and Director, Master of Public Health Program.

While signing the MoU, Mohammed Al Hameli, Chief Support Services, SEHA, said, “It is an honour to be part of an occasion that will enhance cooperation between two world-class entities and lead to collaborative action to change healthcare research, education and delivery in the UAE. We are determined to continue striking public and private sector partnerships to provide excellence in healthcare.”

Under the terms of the agreement, SEHA and FMHS will share resources and collaborate towards the goal of improving medical leadership, health care delivery and education, and scientific research, while trying to catalyse an optimal environment for conducting research in biomedicine, clinical fields, healthcare quality and patient satisfaction.

“FMHS is glad to cooperate with SEHA on the very important issue of healthcare research, academic progress and knowledge development,” said, Professor Mohamed Yousif Baniyas. “FMHS is recognized as a premier national medical college working to building health care capacity in the UAE, and we are confident that our specialized clinical expertise and research in the fields of healthcare sciences and technology research will be boosted due our cooperation with SEHA.”

Certain SEHA research and training facilities will be affiliated with FMHS, which will allow FMHS employees to use them for research and academic work. At the same time, SEHA employees will be entitled to perform educational duties at FMHS, and receive academic titles.

Dubai, UAE, 12th June 2011: Al Khayyat Investments LLC (AKI), a leading Dubai holding company that represents more than 200 top international brands across the Middle East, has identified healthcare, retail & education as key sectors for growth in 2011.

The strategy was unveiled at its annual offsite meeting in Dubai which was attended by more than 120 managers from the offices across the Middle East region.

Speaking at the meeting, Ahmad Al Khayyat, CEO & MD, Al Khayyat Investments (AKI) said: “Our company has achieved remarkable growth in 2010. This primarily stems from our people that we believe are our most important assets. We have more than 2000 employees from 6 continents who work hand in hand across our business groups and various sectors to achieve the company’s vision of becoming a leading regional entity.”

Al Khayyat Investments expanded its partnerships in 2010 across retail & distribution sectors. Including Superdry, Burger Fuel and group SEB (the owners of Tefal, Moulinex, Rowenta & Krups).

Al Khayyat added: “Al Khayyat Investments has interests in contracting, automotive, real estate and education. The main subsidiaries are: Alphamed, Delta Trade, BinSina Group of Pharmacies, Pest Free, Al Khayyat Retail, Gulf Landscaping, ITALDECO, Realty Capital, ALNO and  Al Khayyat Motors”

At the offsite meeting, AKI felicitated 10 employees who completed more than 20 years in the company across different locations. The management also announced the winners of Best Deal of the Year awards across all sectors, best pharmacist award for BinSina Pharmacy Group and best customer service employee

US-based Oasis Health International to deliver global healthcare expertise to the UAE

May 23, 2011

Tasweek Real Estate Marketing and Development, a leading property advisor and solutions provider, has announced that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with international holding company Haanz Group to help introduce the specialties of the group’s various companies to the UAE real estate industry. The partners will initially focus on bringing in world-class healthcare expertise via one of Haanz’s US-based Oasis Healthcare International.

The MoU was signed by Masood Al Awar, CEO of TASWEEK, and Ayaz Lakhani, Chairman and CEO of Haanz Group. Under the terms of the agreement, TASWEEK will jointly introduce products and services offered by Haanz’s multi-industry interests and facilitate business opportunities. The company will also provide marketing, sales and facility assistance whenever warranted. Haanz, on the other hand, will introduce TASWEEK to its multinational partners and deliver the requested services for the industry.

As such Oasis Health International, a provider of full-service care to communities throughout the world, has overseen numerous projects in roles such as hospital management, strategic consulting and planning, construction, and project management. the subsidiary corporation that will secure management contracts with three to five hospitals in the UAE and equity participation or ownership in two more in the next three years. These facilities will employ doctors and support staff from around the globe and bring in advanced medical technologies and practices from the US. The new company will use the UAE as a platform for potential expansions to other Middle Eastern markets.

“As an industry leader, TASWEEK will provide an excellent springboard for us to introduce the offerings of our various firms. Healthcare is an excellent place to start as the UAE Government is extensively funding health services while the private health sector is rapidly evolving. Oasis is committed to building successful health delivery models that meet the unique needs of the UAE,” said Lakhani, who is also a Board Member of Oasis Healthcare International.

“The comprehensive portfolio handled by Haanz fully complements TASWEEK’s commitment to service excellence and world-class quality. We welcome the group on board and fully support its efforts to establish higher standards of healthcare in the Emirates in partnership with Oasis Healthcare. TASWEEK will continue to work hand-in-hand with Haanz to introduce the leading products and services of its other companies to the country as well. We also look forward to the immense business opportunities that Haanz’s global network has in store for TASWEEK,” added Al Awar.

Haanz Group is an international corporation with partnerships in Health and Wellness, Power Generation, Food and Beverage, Real Estate development, Sea Water Desalination, Renewable Energy, Waste Management, and International Trade.

TASWEEK Real Estate Development and Marketing offers a one-stop shop for the region’s real estate and related services and marketing backed by more than 20 years of innovation and leadership. Its offerings include Purchase and Sale of Strategic Assets; Asset Management; Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances; and Marketing Consultancy.

Saudi Medicare 2011 to highlight growth prospects in burgeoning health & medical sectors
 
February 9, 2011

The Saudi Government has allocated SAR 68.7 billion for healthcare service and social development for 2011, representing a huge 12 per cent increase from last year’s figure. The budget will cover the construction and equipping of primary healthcare centers, the building of 12 new hospitals, and the infrastructural development of four existing hospitals.

There are currently around 120 new hospitals undergoing construction across the Kingdom that can accommodate around 26,700 beds, reflecting the numerous business opportunities available in the Saudi healthcare and medical sectors. The larger funding for these sectors will open up even more prospects this year, a trend that will be highlighted during Saudi Medicare 2011- The 14th International Healthcare, Hospital Supplies and Medical Equipment Show. Running from April 10 to 13, 2011 (6 to 9 Jumada Al-Awal 1432) at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Centre, the trade-only event will provide a comprehensive networking platform for healthcare investors, industry players, importers and practitioners.

Saudi Medicare will be held under the patronage of the Saudi Ministry of Health and organized by Riyadh Exhibitions Company.

“The Saudi budget for 2011 affirms the country’s commitment to maintaining its status as one of the region’s top health-oriented economies. In addition to the bigger funding, the Kingdom will need to partner with the best vendors, suppliers and service providers to secure a robust healthcare framework and attain its healthcare goals. Saudi Medicare 2011 once again provides a venue for stakeholders to interact with regional and international organizations and identify the best tools and techniques to further grow Saudi Arabia’s healthcare and medical sectors,” said Mohammed Al Hussaini, Deputy General Manager, Riyadh Exhibitions Company.

The latest edition of Saudi Medicare will once again showcase the latest Diagnostic, Surgery, Lab, Optics and Ophthalmology Equipments; Disposable Products; Hospital Furniture; Implants; Dental Care Products; and Dentistry Supplies. Also taking place alongside the trade show are Saudi Eye Care 2011– The 7th International Eye Care and Optical Technology Exhibition and Saudi Dentistry 2011 – The 10th International Dental Health Exhibition and ‘Saudi Lab 2011 – The International Laboratory and Analytics Exhibition’. The General Directorate of Hospital Affairs Administration of Radiology will also organize the 2nd Radiology Technologists Conference.

Organizers are confident that this year will sustain the momentum of the 2010 edition and again witness record figures. Last year, Saudi Medicare welcomed 138 exhibitors and 6,735 visitors to 8,000 sqm of gross exhibition area to reaffirm its status as the Kingdom’s premier healthcare and medical event.

The hospital provides 400 meals per day to patients; UAE Hospitals spend over $6,000 a day on catering

B6 contract

Dubai, UAE, 31 October, 2010:  Canadian Specialist Hospital in Dubai has appointed B6 Group to handle the catering services to its patients and staff as well as run the coffee shops at the two Dubai hospitals in Abu Hail and Oud Metha.

The move to appoint a specialized company to supply meals to the hospital is prompted by the well-known fact that one patient meal is equal to one and a half ordinary meals in terms of cost and quality.

Omar R. Al Falasi, Chairman, B6 Group said: “One size fits all doesn’t work with hospital catering unlike tourism and events. Hospitals meals incur high costs compared with tourist’s meals because of more labor, professional nutritionist and customization involved.” you have people with special requirements that need nutritionally balance meals that cater to their individual needs and requirements. Also the food has to be appealing as often people who are sick or recovering, lose their appetite. You also have to consider that many of the people that you are feeding have in some way or another a compromised immune system, meaning they will be less able to fight off any potential sickness, so hygiene practices are paramount.

Dr. Hayder Al Zubaidy, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Specialist Hospital in Dubai said: “Catering patients is not similar to catering for events or tourists. There are many restrictions as well as we need to employ experts with high nutrition and hygiene backgrounds. b6 Healthcare Services by B6 Group, was chosen because of its proven credentials in the field of supplying meals to hospitals.”

Canadian Hospital is supplied over 400 meals a day by B6 Catering from its multi-million dollar kitchen which is equipped with latest machinery and staffed by multi-cuisine chefs as well certificated by HACCP & DM.

Dr. Hayder commented: “Hospitals in the UAE spends more than 6’000 dollars a day on catering on average per year. Hospitals should differentiate between a caterer for events and tourists and a caterer for hospitals which is a pre-requisite in the advancement of any healthcare organization.”

Al Falasi added: “We are thrilled to provide The Canadian Specialist Hospital in Dubai with world class hospital catering and we really want to expand our reach amongst the hospitals industry in the UAE.”

Dr. Hayder added: “The Canadian Specialist Hospital follows highest standards in every aspect of hospital management, be it settings, rooms and greenery; food is no different, on the contrary, it is the most critical component we should take it into consideration and refuse to compromise”.

A recent study by the Dubai Health Authority disclosed that 75 per cent of the low-income expatriates in Dubai lacked coverage of health insurance.

Almost three-quarters of Asian and Arab expats living in the emirate suffer due to the non-coverage of health insurance schemes, revealed the Dubai Household Health Survey.

A panel of healthcare industry leaders based in Dubai discusses the shocking observation of the survey that many expatriates do not seek treatment on time and neglect their conditions due to the higher healthcare costs.

They criticised the negative attitude of many establishments on provision of health coverage to employees and their families, even though the health insurance schemes are much cheaper than in the US or Europe.

“The economic reality of the employees should be considered by the employer and the government,” the experts opined.

A huge disparity is obvious between the low and high-income groups in enjoying the benefits of quality and transparent healthcare services in Dubai.

“The question of unaffordability of healthcare by people in the lower socio-economic strata has to be answered by refining the general assumption on healthcare provision to different brackets of the people,” said Dr Azad Moopen, chairman of DM Healthcare in Dubai.

“The discrimination is, basically, not because of the unavailability of the healthcare. It turned out like this due to the ignorance of corporate groups or companies on the wellness of their workers,” he pointed out.

The emirate of Abu Dhabi has a mandatory health insurance programme for all companies’ employees and their families.

Dr Nawab Shafi ul Mulk, chief of Global Hawk Telemedicine Services in Dubai, pointed out that Dubai has yet to enforce the laws that make it compulsory for all workers to have a health cover.

“The emirate had planned to introduce universal health coverage in January 2009, requiring every employer to pay a set fee to the government for each employee,” he said.

 “This money would have been used to provide employees with ‘free access to basic health care.’ However, this scheme has yet to be introduced.”

Thumbay Moideen, founder president of Gulf Medical University and Hospital, the first private teaching hospital in the UAE, said that the healthcare sector required a massive change in the outlook of planning to cater to the needs of the low-income groups.

“All the hospitals and clinics should subsidise the prices to cater to the masses. The healthcare service providers play a major role in alleviating the worries faced by the low-income group,” he added.

Dr KP Hussain, Managing Director and CEO of Fathima Healthcare Group, pointed out that most of the corporate groups in Dubai provide medical insurance to only employees in the managerial level.

“Less-paid staff members are not given any support by the employers, while budgeting plans of corporate firms allot annual insurance premium of Dhs2,000 to Dhs3,000 per staff in the managerial level,” he said.

Dr Moopen pointed out that it’s the responsibility of the employer to cover decent basic healthcare, except luxury treatments like cosmetic procedures.

“Each employer already has to invest around Dhs10,000 on each employee’s visa costs. Adding an additional Dhs1,000 on their insurance coverage is not a big deal at all,” he noted.

According to him, a statutory requirement should be enforced on employers on providing workers with the health insurance coverage.

Dr Mulk suggested introduction of models for social health insurance coverage programmes, funded by both the government and the employers. “Such programmes can ensure privileges of all sorts of basic health treatments to the people from the low-income bracket and their dependants,” he added.

“The laws should come into effect as soon as possible as it will facilitate the suffering people as the medical costs are higher,” he said.

Dr Hussain elaborated, “Ten years before, many insurance companies were providing medical services to corporate establishments with high premium for their white collar employees. And blue collar workers were neglected due to the high cost of premium which the establishments had to pay. Hence, the lower and middle income group could not get medical coverage.”

“Many people of lower income earners were suffering from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiac disorders. For treating the diseases they needed a minimum Dhs400 to 500 per month,” added the medical insurance expert.

“This scenario gave birth to the concept of providing cost-effective and comprehensive medical services for the lower and middle income groups, so they could avail the services throughout the year by paying a small premium to the insurance companies,” he noted

ABU DHABI — The growth of the region’s healthcare sector could be hampered due to lack of trained nurses, said Obaid Al Jenaidi, president of the Emirates Nursing Association (ENA).

Speaking ahead of the first annual Nursing Conference in October, the keynote speaker said: “The notable factor in the Middle East is that the caregiver and the caretaker are all from different countries. The Middle East’s healthcare sector is growing rapidly but this growth could be affected by the lack of trained nurses from national populations.”

To address this, the “governments are successfully implementing strategies to invest in and develop their national medical infrastructure to serve the region’s growing population as well as means of attracting foreign investments”,  Al Jenaidi said.

According to Al Jenaidi, the region needs to catch up in the areas of medical infrastructure, training facilities and continuing nursing education. In the West, nurses spend at least 10 to 20 per cent of their annual income to further their knowledge, while here this trend has yet to be seen.

“In this region, little or no importance is given to the competency cycle which is a great tool to empower and to further educate nurses,” he pointed out.

Academic and basic nursing education in the region should be of international standards and hospital facilities provided for nursing students to practise should be of accredited standards.

Al Jenaidi added that English, as an international language, should be the medium of communication and that educational qualification and experience alone should determine Nursing Leaders and positions of authority, a practice that is yet to fully develop in the Middle East.

Hosted by IIR Middle East, the Nursing Conference will be held during the Abu Dhabi Medical Congress (ADMC) from October 17-19 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

Noting the importance of the conference, Al Jenaidi said the event would focus on the various strategies of educational training related to nurses.

“This conference could be a new beginning for various new strategies as there is a lot of involvement from the national decision makers,” concluded Al Jenaidi. — olivia@khaleejtimes.com