The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHP) honoured its strategic partners of the “National Health Survey” project at a special ceremony held on (Sunday) at its Headquarters in Dubai.
The event was held in the presence of HE Dr. Hussein Abdul Rahman Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for Health Clinics and Centres; Alia Zaid Harbi, Director of the Statistics and Research Centre, and representatives of organisations and entities that contributed to and supported the National Health Survey.
The ceremony featured a visual presentation on the survey and its official results, which were revealed late last month by the Ministry during a media briefing.
The ministry honoured its strategic partners, including the Dubai Statistics Centre, Statistics Centre-Abu Dhabi (SCAD), Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA), Police Headquarters, Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Abu Dhabi Department of Health (DOH), Sharjah Department of Statistics and Community Development (DSCD), IQVI Company. The honoured also included the members of the project’s work team.
Speaking at the honouring ceremony, Dr. Hussein Al Rand praised the efforts of partners from both the public and private sectors as well as entities supporting the Ministry’s initiatives, particularly the National Health Survey.
Dr. Al Rand highlighted the role played by the Ministry’s partners in strengthening its drive and developing all aspects of joint action to provide the high-end and premium health services and adopt the best international practices in the field, within the framework of the Ministry’s strategy that aims to improve UAE- health services and community health.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Al Rand said: “Today we celebrate our partners in recognition and appreciation of their efforts. I take this occasion to urge them to continue their support, which is turned into successes and achievements that contributed to the National Health Survey’s impressive results.”
“The National Health Survey, conducted under the theme “Health is a Priority” to update the population health database, measure health performance indicators and support national health planning and policy strategies to achieve the objectives of the 2021 National Agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he added.
Dr. Al Rand also lauded the efforts and efficiency of health committees and authorities as well as other government entities and those who contributed to the survey’s success. He commended Emirati and expatriate families for their cooperation to ensure the successful accomplishment of the survey, which aimed to update health data base that helps support the decision-making process and health policy as well as measure the results of health initiatives and programmes launched by the Ministry.
He indicated that the survey also aimed to measure the response of community members and their future expectations.
On her part, Alia Zaid Harbi, Director of the Statistics and Research Centre, welcomed the partners of the national survey, which represents a successful example of collaborative government efforts at local and federal levels. “The survey was adopted a national statistical method in compliance with the latest international standards in statistical quality,” Harbi stressed.
Positive outcomes of the Health Survey related to health policy planning
Alia Zaid Harbi noted that the survey achieved a response rate of 94 per cent from expatriate residents and local families due to the cooperation of partners. She said the survey’s indicators covered the diet, physical activity, and screening of cervical cancer, physical measurements, diabetes, cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, and tobacco.
“We managed, thanks to coordinated efforts and the spirit of teamwork, to determine prevalence of diabetes and measure the satisfaction rate of healthcare services, as the rate of breastfeeding, cholesterol level, percentage of smokers, rate of obesity, blood pressure and other national health indicators,” Harbi emphasized.
She thanked strategic partners, work teams and Emirati and expatriate families for their cooperation that contributed to the survey’s success.