The UAE Cabinet on Sunday endorsed proposals to establish a national database of patients’ medical records as part of plans to improve the UAE healthcare sector.
The initiative is one of the outcomes of the Cabinet’s Government Innovation Lab, chaired last year by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai during the Ministerial Retreat.
It aims to unify all medical records of patients in the UAE, facilitate movements of patients among healthcare providers, as well as connect public hospitals and clinics, news agency WAM reported.
The four-year plan will provide up-to-date medical records, eliminate duplication and reduce registration times, medication errors and the length of hospital stays, it added.
Sheikh Mohammed was quoted as saying: “Providing healthcare services in the UAE is a joint work among federal, local governments and private sector. Improving the healthcare services will never stop, as the health of our citizens is our utmost priority.”
He added: “Building a high-quality healthcare system and providing the best services to patients require streamlining efforts in this sector. Today, we announce a unified national medical record to facilitate the healthcare services and provide up-to-date medical data.
“We want healthcare services to reach patients no matter where they are in the country, to realise high quality standard of living to our people and ensure their health requirements are met.”
The Cabinet also approved implementing an initiative on mobile healthcare services programme to provide services in remote areas, especially for senior citizens. The mobile healthcare services will focus on home-care services and outpatient specialty clinics.
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