Officials continue to streamline health care

DUBAI // The new health authority in Dubai is a step closer to creating a single regulatory and licensing body. The regulatory arm of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), which was launched in June, will now work with the Department of Health and Medical Services (DOHMS) to oversee the licensing and regulation previously undertaken by DOHMS. It will be responsible for creating new standards and policies, regular inspections of all health facilities, monitoring professional performance and dealing with complaints.

This week the DHA also announced its new structure incorporating a number of new health directorates. They include accountability and performance, strategy and innovation, quality and population health, sector knowledge and information and corporate services. Dr Haidar al Yousuf has been appointed chief of the accountability and performance sector and will be responsible for managing and reviewing all DHA programmes as it takes full authority in the emirate. He will also work with other governmental bodies to look at other issues that affect health.

"There are a lot of health issues which interact with more than one government organisation or public and private organisations in Dubai," he said. "There are crosscutting issues in many areas, for example road traffic accidents. It affects health in many ways so we will work with the RTA. As well as this there is, for example, disease control, which involves other government bodies." Dr Yousuf also said because Dubai was creating a health system like no other in the world, there will be a number of challenges and a need to "tweak it here and there along the way".