Promising a healthy future

The Arab Health Exhibition beginning today is set to attract the best medical minds and present the latest technologies.

When it comes to healthcare, there can be no compromise. Medical practitioners worldwide endeavour constantly to sharpen their skills to offer the best treatment to their patients.

The Arab Health Exhibition and Congress is the region's leading healthcare event and meeting ground for medical professionals from all over the world. It attracts the best medical minds and encourages them to work pro-actively and create better medical facilities.

In its 32nd year, the event offers companies the opportunity to showcase their products and services to a large and continually growing market. Exhibitors from 67 countries are expected to attend this year's conference, which will include 30 country pavilions.

The event runs from January 29 to February 1, at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre (DIEC). About 33,000 visitors are expected to attend this year's exhibition in which the latest in innovative medical technologies and solutions will be discussed. The Arab Health Congress, the largest multi-track series of conferences in the world, promises to be the largest ever staged in the Middle East and will feature 16 conferences and workshops held during the four-day event. Some of the top international and national speakers in the healthcare industry will be presenting their views at the conference, which will be attended by more than 4,500 delegates. The congress will also have interactive hands-on practical workshops.

One of the new sections is the rehab area, which incorporates 30 companies exhibiting the full spectrum of products available to rehabilitation specialists. The Middle East physical medicine and rehabilitation conference is another event to watch out for. To be held on January 31 and February 1, the conference is split into individual charge sessions including musculo-skeletal disorders, traumatic brain injury and pediatric rehabilitation.

Walter Van Kuijen, Senior Vice-President, Philips Medical Systems, Europe, Middle East and Africa, says, "Philips Medical Systems has been a part of Arab Health since the first exhibition and we are very pleased to have seen it grow into one of the leading medical exhibitions in the world." This year Philips will be showcasing the Ambient Experience Catheterisation Lab, which aims to improve the workflow of physicians.

According to Nart Mamser, Regional General Manager, Siemens, another major participant in the event, "The Arab Health Exhibition has become increasingly critical to Siemens, so much so it is now one of the five key trade shows for Siemens Medical Solutions worldwide."

Certification programmes

One of the unique aspects of this year's exhibition is the special certificate programme. For the first time in the region, every medical professional attending the exhibition will receive five hours of complimentary American Academy of Continuing Medical Education (AACME) accredited education.

This comes just as the Ministry of Health (MoH) announced
that all medical practitioners will be required to complete a minimum number of Continuing Medical Education (CME) hours to renew their medical licences.

According to Dr. Abdul Ghaffa Abdul Ghafoor, Assistant UnderSecretary for Curative Medicine, MoH, "The continuing education of healthcare practitioners helps ensure that doctors are kept up-to-date with advances in treatment methods and this benefit is translated into better standards of patient care. As in the majority of countries, the renewal of medical licences of physicians, nurses and technicians in the UAE will now be dependant on the completion of a minimum number of hours. We are confident that this initiative will benefit the medical community and general public."

Medical professionals who visit the Arab Health exhibition will be given a DVD with five hours of CME from a range of eight topics. On viewing the DVD, users can complete the CME questions via the Institute for International Research (IIR) online CME programme.

Simon Page, Project Director of the exhibition, says, "Arab Health is always striving to provide the best medical education available to healthcare professionals as cost effectively as possible. Normally this is achieved through our extensive conferences, and we have 15 this year."

Once the medical professional has successfully completed the online CME programme, the AACME will provide a certificate confirming completion of the course.

Dr. Ahmad Swelam, Media and Exhibitions Group Director, Saudi German Hospitals Group, says, "We are delighted to sponsor the educational DVD that will provide healthcare professionals with some of the hours needed for the renewal of their medical licence."

Page says, "The continuing education of healthcare practitioners helps ensure that doctors are kept up-to-date with advances in treatment methods and this benefit is ultimately translated into better standards of patient care."

The Leaders in Healthcare conference, is among the most anticipated events, which will bring together chief executives and leaders from some of the world's most prominent medical institutions to discuss the importance of quality in healthcare. A conference discussing the advances in healthcare will be conducted on January 30 in conjunction with the Harvard Medical School Dubai Centre.

The exhibition acts as the right platform for the most advanced medical institutions of the world. The German pavilion is one of the biggest at the exhibition with more than 320 companies presenting a broad range of medical, pharmaceutical and laboratory equipment at Arab Health 2007. The Danish representation at the event has been supported by the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while a delegation of more than 95 healthcare companies and leading doctors will highlight the care offered by the US.

Singapore boasts one of the most pioneering and developed healthcare systems in the world. It offers medical procedures and surgery, which only a few countries specialise in, such as stem cell transplants, living donor liver transplants and advanced robotic surgery.

Closer to home, Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) is the world's first healthcare free zone. It is a centre for high quality and innovative healthcare management, education and research. DHCC's services and facilities will be available to residents of the UAE as well as the rest of the Middle East and surrounding regions. A delegation of top doctors will represent the country, as will separate delegations from other countries.

Explaining the growth of medical facilities in the Middle East, Page says, "Medical aid is becoming more advanced globally. While the gap between developments in the west and this region was once quite large, this has considerably reduced and one can find some of the most highly skilled professionals in the Middle East. People no longer have to travel to Europe and can be comforted that the best medical care is within reach."