Medical staff shortage in Dubai discussed

The head of Dubai Health Authority said the shortage of doctors and nurses was among the key challenges faced by Dubai: “More than 5,000 medical staff is currently employed in government and private medical facilities in Dubai but we are working on a clinical capacity plan to further assess the needs of the emirate,” Essa Al Maidoor said while speaking with reporters.

Future plans, he said, are to add 1,500 more beds to meet the needs of the growing population. “Dubai is a popular destination and that is why this conference is such a success.”

The four-day conference was opened by Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance, and is taking place at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Al Maidoor also said the authority was establishing a database for the medical tourism sector: “We are assessing each specialty to see what is required so that investors get a chance to invest in these fields. Besides, we want a sustainable growth for which we need legislation and laws.” A recently updated law on regulations for healthcare professionals and facilities in Dubai was discussed.

“The law is comprehensive in nature and brings together all the existing laws in the Dubai health sector under one remit,” said Dr Ramadan Ibrahim, Director of Health Regulation at the authority.

Lifestyles diseases such as diabetes and cancer care were among the new topics raised for debate at the conference. Karim Meeran, Professor of Endocrinology at Imperial College London Faculty of Medicine told delegates that people had to be forced to diet and exercise. “We are always saying that people need to change lifestyle, lose weight and diet but we are failing,” he told a packed audience: “This is happening everywhere in the world, including the UAE.

“People do not choose to exercise or diet, you have to force them to become healthier.” Al Maidoor, however, said that there was an improvement in people’s lifestyle: “We ranked number two in the world in terms of occurrence of diabetes but now we have dropped to number 10. This is because of awareness,” he added. “The primary healthcare department at the authority is the frontrunner and we are working with people to improve their health.”

Featuring over 3,500 exhibitors from 63 countries and more than 7,500 delegates, the conference and exhibition is attended by more than 80,000 healthcare professionals as they aim to tackle the diverse health issues ranging from the increasing demand for healthcare services, growing healthcare costs and the increasing lifestyle diseases in the region.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com