The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has launched the "Public Health Management" system with the aim to enhance prevention and management of public health projects, promote the involvement of communities and civil society organizations in health promotion programs in cooperation with partners in the public and private sector.
The new system works as a national platform and future database that was specifically designed to create a health-supporting digital environment and a responsive and sustainable healthcare system that embraces the global standards on the management of health facilities infrastructure and targets the promotion of public health and disease prevention.
The launch of the platform came on the sidelines of MoHAP's participation at the Arab Health 2021, which takes place in Dubai from 21 - 24 June.
The Public Health Management system aims to equip public health specialists with integrated tools to monitor and manage initiatives and activities as well as to enhance the response to their evolving requirements, which will contribute to making a paradigm shift in the healthcare system.
The centralized database of this system would help health services providers in the front lines and public health decision-makers access important information, which would help improve the health outcomes and rationalize healthcare spending. The platform also includes the feature of rapid and accurate reporting on contagious diseases.
National action plan
The platform was developed in partnership with Etisalat - technology partner – and Health Matrix. Etisalat will provide the Baxter ICNET, a clinical surveillance platform, while Health Matrix will be responsible for the management of the project governance and delivery.
This project is seen as a qualitative shift in the march of the health sector towards digital transformation and utilization of artificial intelligence to achieve highly efficient preventive healthcare services and enhance the quality of their outputs.
This comes as part of the ministry's focus on outreaching and education programs against today's diseases related to technology, hybrid foods, and an unhealthy lifestyle, in line with the future priorities of the UAE government, and according to a national action plan, timeframes, and indicators to monitor performance and evaluate results as per international best practices.
Preventive healthcare system
HE Dr. Hussein Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary of Health Centres and Clinics Sector, said the Public Health Management system is part of the ministry's strategy to enhance community health and healthy behaviors, improve the interaction between patients and health practitioners to be aware of their disease and how to deal with it, and improve the proactively remote patient follow-up. Al Rand added this would help limit the spread of diseases, reduce personal and governmental treatment spending, improve the national health indicators, and strengthen the preventive health system to confront health risks and epidemics via innovative digital solutions.
He further said that the Covid-19 pandemic challenges have shown the urgent need for critical digital infrastructure to enhance the response of health systems and societies and provide better, faster, and smarter digital healthcare. This system will support healthcare professionals with all the tools needed to help improve prevention and management of public health issues, he underlined.
State-of-the-art digital solutions
For his part, Abdulla Al Ahmed, Senior Vice President, Government Sales, Etisalat, said: "We are proud to partner with the Ministry of Health to develop this program that will use the latest in innovative technologies to improve health outcomes through accurate disease reporting.”
Al Ahmed stressed that developing digital health solutions has become a necessity, especially with the emergence of the global pandemic and other diseases. He noted that Etisalat continuously strives to work with its global partners to contribute to the development of a first-class healthcare system in the UAE in line with the company’s comprehensive services.