Dubai: The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), in coordination and cooperation with Zayed Higher Organisation (ZHO) for People of Determination (ZHO), has launched a new initiative to provide medication instruction labels in Braille to help visually impaired patients read medicine labels independently.
This unique humane innovation comes as part of the UAE government’s directions to protect the rights of people of determination and secure a decent life for them through the provision of appropriate services that help support their capabilities and integrate them into society.
The Braille labelling has been prepared by relevant experts and printed at the printing press of the ZHO, the UAE’s only facility that provides such a service.
MoHAP and ZHO are also planning to introduce a social media campaign about the initiative and the names of the participating pharmacies, in addition to a touch-point survey that will be taking place to obtain feedback from service users and their families. In the meantime, the ministry will remain in constant contact with pharmacists and pharmaceutical companies to learn about their proposals on the initiative.
Braille label in different languages
Stressing the importance of braile-labellign for medicines, Dr Amin Hussein Al Amiri, the Assistant Undersecretary of the Health Ministry’s Public Health Policy and Licences Department, said: “The UAE is one of the first countries in the world to apply Braille to drug packages, something that constitutes a significant development in innovation in the pharmaceutical field locally and regionally.” Dr Amiri further added that braille labels were available in Arabic, English and Urdu languages to facilitate easy of use for the visually impaired from various nationalities residing in the UAE.
Social initiative
Abdullah Al-Humaidan, Secretary-General of ZHO, said their organisation had always strived to launch initiatives and support any effort that served the interests of people of determination. He added that this would help the visually impaired be independent and be part of the social mainstream. Al-Humaidan said ZHO had demonstrated its total commitment to the cause by using its resources and experiences, particularly ZHO’s Braille printing press, in support of the public initiatives that served the interests of people of determination. Concluding his remarks, Al-Humaidan underlined that the of determination could enjoy the best quality and means of care and attention, pursuant with the directives of the state’s wise leadership.
The ZHO provides a range of integrated services that aim at rehabilitating disabled people, especially, the visually impaired, to facilitate inclusion into the community. The Organisation is keen on spreading Braille in public life and all facilities. This is in addition to providing many outstanding services for the visually impaired, using the UAE’s only printing press that prints educational material (curricula and teaching aids) for students in general education stages and universities nationwide, besides printing literary material such as cultural publications and stories in Braille.
