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Ministry Plans a Doctor for Each Family

DUBAI - The UAE Ministry of Health has embarked on an ambitious project to provide ‘each family with one doctor’ at the primary healthcare level.

Health officials say that the decision is aimed at reviving the concept of a family doctor in the UAE based on the World Health Organisation’s 2008 report “PHCs Now More Than Ever” that calls for developing health services at the primary level.

“The project was started a year ago,” says Dr Muna Al Kawari, Director of the Central Department of Primary Health Care at the MoH. “Now we are planning to take the project to a higher level by asking general practitioners to upgrade their educational qualifications to that required for a family doctor by offering them diploma courses,” she explained without identifying when the project was aimed for completion.

Healthcare provided at the primary level includes out-patient care, prescription drugs, long-term community care, childhood immunisations, children’s dental care, mental health, ambulatory specialist care, non-emergency in-patient care and acute and emergency and referrals if needed.

Dr Al Kawari says that the project is ambitious and a thorough strategy for implementation has to be worked upon. “Development of manpower skills is vital for this project,” she adds. She says the benefits of the project are immense. “At this level, we can screen for chronic diseases at an earlier stage. It will also be clear whether a particular disease runs in the family or not.

Since all family members will be consulting a single doctor hence treatment methods will differ from the normal way where a patient consults a doctor and may not revert to the same one,” she says. “A family doctor ensures a regular follow up,” she adds.

Recently, Dubai hosted the GCC-wide meeting for PHCs which also called for the need to develop healthcare at the primary level.

Director General of the Executive Office of GCC Ministers of Health, Dr Tawfiq bin Ahmed Khawja said that strategic plans need to be implemented at different stages to successfully adapt the international standards of primary healthcare on family and society medicine in the GCC region.

While the MoH aims at providing families with a personal doctor at the federal level, the Dubai Health 
Authority has already laid the base for a similar system. The DHA’s upcoming health funding system also follows a similar concept. According to the 
system, all Dubai residents will 
register with a selected Out-Patient Care Practice (OCPs).

A senior health official from DHA had earlier told Khaleej Times 
that the demand for general practitioners is expected to increase once the system is in place.

Lindsay Sales, member of the Dubai Health Authority’s Transition Team that is overlooking the implementation of the new health system said, “Registering with one clinic of choice is 
aimed at promoting the concept of a family doctor. This will encourage consultation with a single, general 
practitioner who will also carry out referrals if required.”

Since patients might single out doctors along with clinics of their choice, the demand for GPs is expected to increase, he added.

According to him, doctors would spend more time with patients after a constant rapport is developed through this system.

“Currently, doctors spend about five minutes with patients since they have a huge number of patients waiting,” he had explained.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com