Dubai: The challenges of an ageing population must be met for health care to advance.
Delivering her keynote address on the concluding day of the 40th Arab Health Exhibition and Congress, at the Leadership in Health Care Conference, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and chairperson of Dubai Healthcare City, highlighted some of the most pertinent challenges before modern health care systems and dwelt on the topic of making health care more patient-centric outcome oriented, affordable and sustainable.
While appreciating the rapid strides UAE has made in health care, Haya emphasised on the need for even more concerted effort in collaboration between all stakeholders.
“The UAE has come far in its delivery of health care to our rapidly growing population, with changing demographics, and a host of new illnesses resulting from our changing lifestyle habits. Yet despite all our efforts, recent publications suggest that we may be stemming the tide, that there remains much more to do. Twenty-six per cent of deaths in the UAE are due to heart attacks and diabetes is now haunting 12 per cent of our children,” she said.
Haya focused on the burden on health care by an ageing population — a demographic challenge that no country is immune to.
“Health care is changing, and the most ominous of these changes is the impact of ageing. It is a truism that we are all getting older. Today, approximately 12 per cent of the world population is over 60 years or older. That is roughly 800 million people, a number forecast to become 1.4 billion by 2030, and although it is difficult to be exact, it is likely that 25 per cent of the world’s population will be over the age of 60 by 2050. That is over two billion people.”
Understanding the challenge
She pointed out that statistics indicated that poorer countries felt the greatest impact of aging but eventually every country’s health care system would have to deal with this issue and the need for UAE’s health care system to innovate and adapt to meet this challenge.
“In order to make our health care systems sustainable and future proof, we must understand the challenge an ageing population presents to our health care and welfare systems. We must have clear vision of what these systems would look like not only in the immediate future, but also in the next three to four decades. We must take a holistic view of the needs of older people, which cannot be done without their direct involvement in the design and delivery of services that meets their needs.”
Haya advised health care experts in the region to be open-minded and ready to collaborate internationally on issues. She urged clinicians to adopt transparency, accountability and best practices to ensure better patient protection.
“The Centre for Health Care Quality, under Dubai Health care Regulations, has created a framework which provides a greater opportunity for clinicians to practice yet at the same time ensures greater protection for our patients,” she said.
Haya also spoke of the importance of a strong digital backbone, better use of technology and integrated networks for accuracy in diagnosis and treatment.
She also underlined the role of research in strengthening the health care system. Haya talked of the importance of building human resources to have a strong health care delivery system.
“Nations are struggling to train, recruit and retain sufficient doctors and nurses. Many have started to adapt delivery roles and structures to compensate for this shortage. This has the advantage of saving cost, and maintains patient dignity and independence..”
She concluded her speech strongly advising the gathering to focus on the real achievement that touched human beings and building dreams on a realistic idea of what one could achieve.
