DHA develops region’s first accredited medical education system in private sector

Dubai: Dubai Health Authority (DHA) on Wednesday announced that it has developed the first accredited educational system in the private health sector in the Arab world that has been accredited by the Arab Board for Health Specialisations.

Awad Al Ketbi, Director General of DHA, received the accreditation shield from Dr. Omar Al Rawas, Secretary General of Arab Board of Health Specialisations.

DHA has identified, within its newly developed system, 30 specialised programmes, which will be implemented in 24 hospitals and medical centres, as a first stage, with the aim of providing 126 training opportunities for young doctors.

In the first phase, DHA focused on the main specialities, which included eight healthcare specialisations: Family medicine, internal diseases, general surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics, and ophthalmology. It also had a sub-programme in the speciality of fertility medicine. This latest programme is the first accredited by the Arab Board for Health Specialisations.

The list of the first phase of approved hospitals and centres included American Hospital, Saudi German Hospital, Fakeeh University, King’s College, Prime Al Garhoud, Medcare Medical Group, Moorfields Eye Hospital, Barraquer UAE Eye Hospital, Gargash Hospital, Fakih Fertility Center, Orchid Specialized Center, and ART Fertility Clinics, and Dr Sulaiman Al Habib, Aster DM Healthcare Group, Zulekha Hospital, Liberty Dental Clinic, Marina Dental Centre, Al Garhoud Hospital, Mirdif, American Academy of Plastic Surgery Hospital, Dubai Autism Centre, Open Minds, American Wellness and Galadari Derma Centre.

Al Ketbi said: “DHA has taken this important initiative to establish the first educational system in the private health sector, which was adopted at the level of the Arab world, in line with our vision to develop medical education in the emirate and to keep pace with the development of health care and the health of the population of the UAE and to ensure better alignment of medical education resources.”

He added that DHA pays significant attention to medical education and training, as it is the gateway to creating expertise and supplying the health sector with distinguished medical competencies.

He highlighted that DHA believes in the value and importance of education and training and is confident that the system it has developed in this field will raise the level and efficiency of medical facilities in Dubai and thus raise the quality of services and care in a way that exceeds the expectations of customers.

He stated that DHA spares no effort in providing all possible education and training opportunities that enhance the performance of medical personnels.

Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO of the Health Regulation Sector, emphasised that DHA’s interest in providing a supervisory and administrative structure for residency and fellowship programs in Dubai aims to ensure that the requirements of various local, regional and international accreditation bodies are met, which aim to improve the quality of educational outcomes and ensure the availability of appropriate educational and clinical resources.

Dr. Wadeia Mohammad Sharief, Director of the Medical Education and Research Department at DHA, pointed out the importance of investing in all training opportunities to build and expand residency and fellowship programs in an attempt to bridge the gap between the increasing number of graduates of medical colleges annually in the country, and the specialisation opportunities necessary for their scientific and professional path and to bolster medical training and continuous medical education.