How Abu Dhabi is building its public health strategy through the ‘Disease Registry Electronic Platform’

Dubai: A new digital programme will now enable the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC ) to develop it’s public health strategy based on the chronic diseases most widely detected within the community.

The ‘Disease Registry Electronic Platform’ was launched by ADPHC in partnership with Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) at Gitex Global 2022.

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News on Thursday, October 13, Dr Jamal Al Mutawa Al Naqbi, Director of Public Health System Sector at ADPHC, said that the platform will work on detecting different diseases like cancer, diabetes and mental health, to help create the necessary screening programmes to ensure better public health.

By understanding which diseases are affecting the population, it will help health authorities in Abu Dhabi take action against disease and raise awareness, according to Al Naqbi.

“Through this platform, we are looking at prevention and control of diseases, and without knowing how common a disease is, we will not be able act accordingly,” he said.

“For example, for cancer we look at how different types of cancer are distributed across the community. If the platform shows the number for breast cancer cases are high, then the health authorities will promote breast screening and urge women to consult their doctors if they are eligible for a mammogram,” he added.

Through this platform, we are looking at prevention and control of diseases, and without knowing how common a disease is, we will not be able act accordingly.

- Dr Jamal Al Mutawa Al Naqbi, Director of Public Health System Sector at ADPHC

“We also tell doctors what details are required for diseases to be registered in the system. Through this, we ensure the data entry is completed in a controlled manner. We also evaluate the quality of the data,” he said.

Diseases common among different age groups, communities and genders

The detailed entry of data will not only provide ADPHC with details on which disease is prevalent within the community, but also which part of the community is most affected by it.

“We also check if some diseases are common among certain ages, genders and ethnicities. For example, through this data, we can see that breast cancer is more common among women, compared to men, even though men can be diagnosed with breast cancer, too,” he said.

“Through disease registry, we can also find out which type of cancer is common among children,” he added.

Similarly, for other chronic diseases such as diabetes, the registry is aimed to enable doctors and other medical professionals to analyse which group is most vulnerable.

Promoting early detection of chronic diseases

“We also encourage people to test for diabetes once they turn 18, because some people may be pre-diabetic. Through the data we receive from the platform, we can create awareness programmes centred on healthy eating and exercise, which will help prevent these diseases and promote early detection,” he added.