ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, October 19, 2010/PRNewswire/ --Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, advances as a healthcare innovation center this December as it hosts the World Health Care Congress (WHCC) Middle East, a meeting of global health care stakeholders that will share best practices for improving the delivery of high quality cost-effective care.
The Health Authority - Abu Dhabi (HAAD), the emirate’s regulatory body for the health care sector, is at the forefront in encouraging global innovations for health awareness, research and innovation. Since beginning an extensive health care restructure plan in 2007, it has launched numerous initiatives aimed at enhancing its health care knowledge base and continuing its development an a center of health care excellence. The emirate aims to create a health care system where everyone has full access to health care. Abu Dhabi has taken significant pro-active steps toward improving its healthcare system through HAAD’s creation.
Recent efforts include
-- Introduction of mandatory health insurance.
-- Expansion of hospital systems and health care services; Abu Dhabi has 39 hospitals and 572 health centers and clinics. The Abu Dhabi Health Services Co. (SEHA) plans opening two new major hospitals by 2013.
-- Increasing its global reach through funding the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
-- Partnerships with several of the world’s health innovation leaders, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.
-- International, Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Bumrungrad International in Thailand.
WHAT: The World Health Care Congress Middle East
WHERE: Abu Dhabi, UAE, December 5-7, 2010
PROGRAM AGENDA: http://www.worldcongress.com/me
H.E. Zaid Al Siksek, CEO of HAAD, said: "Healthcare in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is going through a period of pronounced private sector investment, radical changes to the insurance system and a shift in government focus from operational to regulatory responsibilities."
"Despite successes in reform, private sector participation and a marked improvement in the overall provision of care, many wards are operating at full or near-full capacity. Pediatric intensive care units were consistently more than three-quarters full in 2009. Growth is needed in services related to diabetes and cancer, while low capacity in gynecology and orthopedics means greater investment is required in those fields as well," H.E. Al Siksek added.
