‘Physicians first’ insists health agency

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Dubai must entice physicians through the quality of its health system, said Al Murooshid, head of the Dubai Health Authority.

Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has pledged clarification of malpractice guidelines, support for continuing education, and an agency "led by its physicians".

The DHA, which is set to succeed the Department of Health and Medical Services (DoHMS) in 2012, will break with three decades of tradition by resigning its provider status.

Instead, the agency will be solely a regulatory body, said Qadi Al Murooshid, director general of the DHA.

"The DHA will be standing to regulate physicians from all practices - government and private - and this is one of the reasons to have that distance," he insisted. "We won't be healthcare provider and regulator at the same time and we will not be using public and private as a distinction for physicians. Doctors are doctors."

Dubai's poorly defined malpractice laws have been an area of concern for physicians, particularly those in the private sector. Al Murooshid has promised clearer rules on procedures, hinting that private sector physicians may be invited to adjudicate on expert panels. The authority's top priority is "transparency and accountability", he added.

Rules governing continuing medical education are also in line for an overhaul in favour of clinicians. Nearly a year after CME was made mandatory for license renewal, employers will be obliged to provide access to training- either through in-house courses, or by setting aside funding for staff education.

"This will be a part of the regulation, and it will not only be enforced in the public sector," said the director general. "The establishment or the hospital must provide CME. To maintain certain standards...they have to make sure that their physicians have access to certain training."

The DHA has said it will focus on tighter regulations for employers to provide more attractive workplaces for staff. The demand for private facilities to attain international accreditation by 2010 is an offshoot of this objective, Al Murooshid noted.

"By creating regulatory standards and career requirements we will be supporting physicians and challenging them," he said. "We will be working hard to make sure the facilities are as professional as possible and...that Dubai is the ideal place for them to practice and to use their knowledge and expertise. This is one of our major issues - to make Dubai a place where physicians can enhance their careers."

Primary healthcare has been earmarked for improvement, after initial research by the DHA identified gulfs in service. As the conduit for improved preventive care, primary care facilities will form the centerpiece of Dubai's future health service, said the director general.

"It is the centre of our focus for the future...[but] there is a lot of room for improvement. We need to invest in more people and facilities, and spend money on preventive care, which should start in the primary care system."

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