Dubai: Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, has issued a resolution appointing Dr Manal Mohammad Omran Taryam as Executive Director of Primary Health Care (PHC) in the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). The resolution takes effect from the date of issuance and is to be published in the Official Gazette.
In her capacity as the Executive Director, she will be responsible for the functioning of the PHC sector, which is highly specialised and includes family medicine, community medicine, dentistry and specialised services such as child health, elderly health, preventive medicine and women’s health.
Dr Manal has more than 17 years of experience in both medical and managerial role in the field of ophthalmology and prevention of blindness.
She started her career as a physician at the DHA in 1996. Later she moved to Germany to complete her postgraduate studies, in ophthalmology and vitreo-retinal surgery. After that she returned to the DHA in 2004 and helped in the development of the vitreo-retinal unit.
In 2008 she became the president of the Ophthalmology Society at the Emirates Medical Association, which caters to the needs of all ophthalmologists and eye-care providers in the UAE. She also established the Emirates Ophthalmology Congress, which brings together international experts and local physicians to discuss the latest advances in the field, thus facilitating knowledge transfer.
In the same year, she joined the Middle East and Africa Council of Ophthalmology as a board member. During her seven years of work with the council, she has been a faculty member at the leadership development programme, co-founder and Secretary General of the regional Retina association and Vice-President of the World Ophthalmology Congress 2012 which hosted over 12,000 delegates from around the world.
In the field of philanthropy, she is a trustee member and chief executive officer of the Noor Dubai Foundation, an NGO specialising in prevention of blindness globally. Besides providing immediate health care to those in need, the charity provides long-term programmes to help eradicate blinding diseases in Africa.
Dr Manal holds an MBBS in Medicine from the Dubai Medical College, the German board from the University of Cologne and a fellowship in Vitreo-retinal surgery. She is the recipient of many awards, including the Shaikh Rashid Award for Academic Excellence and the Dubai Government Excellence Programme Award 2006 for Distinguished Female Employee category.
