Dubai: It will be mandatory for all healthcare providers in the UAE to provide at least one form of remote services for patients under a new regulatory framework expected to be launched by the end of this year.
This was revealed by Shaikha Hasan Al Mansory, head of Strategy and Investment Section, Digital Health Department, Ministry of Health and Prevention on the second day of the Remote forum in Dubai on Thursday.
The ministry will launch a comprehensive “Smart Digital Health” regulatory framework by the end of the year and all healthcare providers will have to mandatorily provide at least one of the four forms of remote health services, she told Gulf News on the sidelines of the forum.
“It will be mandatory for them to provide at least one of these services remotely—consulting, prescribing medications, monitoring patients or robotic surgeries.”
This will be applicable to both public and private sector healthcare service providers, she revealed.
She said medical facilities should report to the ministry the about the virtual or tele medicine services that they currently have.
“And if they do not have any, we will be holding our hands together with them so that by the end of this year, they would have at least one of them”
The comprehensive healthcare regulatory framework to regulate all remote health services will define roles and responsibilities of medical facilities and patients’ rights.
In the wake of rapid developments in technological advancements in health care sector, she said, it is imperative that medical facilities promote remote services.
“We are heading towards medical tourism now. How can we do it without having such basic services? We need these services to move towards digitisation in healthcare sector,” said Al Mansory.
She pointed out that the rules and regulations will also set boundaries for healthcare providers.
“There must be medical responsibility when it comes to diagnosis and prescription of medicines and tele medical services. We must have clear regulations for all these.”
