Health authority to adopt new technologies to deliver a doctor for every citizen

Investment in telehealth and remote diagnostic systems will bolster article five of 50-Year-Charter

Dubai Health Authority is investing in telehealth services to enable doctors to monitor patients remotely. Getty

Improved healthcare services via the latest technology will deliver the promise of a ‘doctor for every citizen’ as one of the key foundations of the 50-Year-Charter announced by the Ruler of Dubai.

Dubai Health Authority has vowed to significantly invest in a raft of new telehealth services to keep faith with article five of the charter, announced as a blueprint for future success by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE.

Medical consultations will be offered 24-hours a day, seven days a week by hundreds of thousands of doctors, specialists and consultants from around the world through the latest government applications.

Telehealth will be central to that, with health services and medical information delivered increasingly via online portals and a mobile app, allowing long distance patient contact and care.

“Our technical committee is working on implementing a doctor for every citizen, as it has become a performance indicator for measuring the efficiency of health systems and medical facilities,” said Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO of the DHA’s health regulation sector.

“Achieving article five of the charter has become one of the authority’s main objectives and the DHA is employing all of its capabilities to meet this goal.

Telehealth services in Dubai are comprised of several components.

These are providing remote medical consultations, using electronic medical files to access a patient’s family history and prescribing medications via telemedicine based on an approved list of drugs and treatments.

Other areas for growth are a greater understanding of how to self-diagnose using medical devices like a thermometer, a blood glucose monitoring machine, blood pressure test and devices measuring other essential biomarkers to aid a remote clinical observation by a professional.

The health authority is also studying the best options to provide free telehealth services, incentivise their use and is developing a supporting legislative framework.

The charter was announced in January to mark Sheikh Mohammed’s half century of public service.

It also includes ambitions of developing a modern Silk Road for commerce and trade and a virtual city for businesses from anywhere in the world, with Dubai central to those plans.

“The DHA has a lot of existing projects, initiatives and programmes in line with the objectives of the article,” said Dr Al Mulla.

“We have researched the best international models in providing telemedicine services to learn of the latest advancements.”