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As health city evolves, Dubai focuses on preventative care

World's largest free zone for healthcare, which is gearing up for phase 2, strives to enhance medical education offerings

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From investment in young talent to the provision of training opportunities for healthcare professionals, the Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) is establishing a talent pool in the region.
Officials said that the DHCC, the world's largest free zone for healthcare, strives to enhance medical education offerings to reflect the needs and disease patterns in the UAE and region.
An operational review progress report on medical education and wellness sent to Khaleej Times showed growth and development of upcoming facilities, especially in the field of medical education.
Earlier this year, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the Dh3-5 billion expansion plan or Phase 2 of the DHCC.
Dr Raja Al Gurg, Vice-Chairperson and Executive Director of the DHCC, said the growth has been spurred by regulation and capacity planning.
"DHCC has been aware of and is responsive to factors such (as) demographic changes, diseases patterns and population growth," she said.
"Phase 2, occupying 22 million square feet and located at Jadaf Dubai, parallel to Al Garhoud Bridge, is DHCC's expansion into wellness, completing the continuum of care. It will bring together unique wellness concepts and specialised services such as rehabilitation, counselling, sports medicine and elderly care for both residents and visitors."

Elaborating on the subject of wellness, she said, "We recognised early on that healthcare needs to evolve from only interventional clinical care to preventative care."
Commenting on the report, Dr Al Gurg said the first half of 2015 has cemented DHCC's plans to increase the supply of qualified medical professionals and to ensure an equipped, trained existing medical force.
"With the launch of the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences and partnering with Queen's University Belfast, we reinforce our commitment to human capital in the Emirate and to our strategic partnerships in building a world-class healthcare system in the UAE," she said.
DHCC regulations, licensing
Regulations are integral for sustained growth, said Dr Ramadan AlBlooshi, Managing Director, DHCC - Regulatory.
"There have been continuous regulatory advances. Earlier this year, we included 34 new countries to our licensing framework that now covers 63 countries. We also increased the list of online examinations enabling a wider pool of healthcare professionals including physicians and dentists to apply. Further, we have begun implementing the new health insurance law within DHCC. (Along) ... with other stringent measures, we are confident of maintaining momentum," he said.

What's new at  the DHCC?> In the first half of the year, 10 new clinical facilities established presence in DHCC. These include Dr Elsa New Concept Clinic; Dr Dana Diet Centre; Dr Marrapodi Italian Dental Clinic; London Sleep Centre; Aesthetic Professional Medical Clinic; Pro-Age Clinic; and Dr Shyams Ayurveda Centre. Last year, nine clinical facilities had opened during the same period. Two existing facilities have expanded their presence - German Health Consultant and Novo Nordisk Pharma Gulf. Four non-clinical offices have opened, including Optum Health and Technology, Acino MEA and HG Gulf. Additionally, AMICO, a medical device company, announced it will relocate its headquarters to DHCC. The building will comprise 67,800 square feet of modern office space and training facilities, and is expected to be ready by 2017. With the growth in new entrants and existing partners' expansion, demand for space in DHCC is on the rise. The Swiss International Scientific School Dubai (SISSD) will be a new business partner to operate in Phase 2 development, beginning September for the academic year 2015-16.

In the first half of 2015, 526 healthcare professionals were licensed, bringing the total to 5,060, compared to the same period last year, during which 315 professionals were licensed.
Despite an increase in the number of clinical facilities and healthcare professionals, first half of 2014 saw a marginal increase in the number of complaints from 24 last year to 27 in the same period this year. Typically, complaints included medical errors, inappropriate treatment, miscommunication and negligence.
Dr Amer Ahmad Sharif, Managing Director, DHCC - Education, said, "Milestones we have achieved in medical education will spur growth for the rest of the year and the next. We are preparing to welcome the first intake of undergraduate medical students in September 2016 for the College of Medicine, the second college of the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences."
He said the goal to provide high quality medical education, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes as well as continuing professional development courses is part of the paradigm to keep patients healthy.
Growth of facilities
DHCC recorded an increase in clinical facilities from a total of 124 in 2014 to 132 by mid-2015. The DHCC has 190 non-clinical facilities.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Academic Medical Centre (MBR-AMC) is home to the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBR-UMHS).
The student community as well as members of the DHCC clinical community can access DHCC's learning resources - Al Maktoum Medical Library (AMML) and the Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor Medical Simulation Centre (KHMSC).
The volume of medical education events - Continuing Professional Development (CPD), Continuing Medical Education (CME) and industry conferences - increased in the first half of 2015, recording close to 250 events with more than 15,000 attendees.
Last year, the annual volume of medical education events was represented by 300 plus events and 20,000 plus attendees. For the first time, the MBR-AMC achieved the highest CME credit hours - 506.75.
The MBR-UMHS received its initial licence from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR). In the first phase, it announced two colleges - the first, an operational college for postgraduate dental students, and the second, the College of Medicine for undergraduate medical students that is expected to commence applications in September for an intake of 50 students in 2016.
An agreement was also signed with UK-based Queen's University Belfast, one of the UK's leading research-intensive universities, to develop the MBR-UMHS and its College of Medicine.
College of dental medicine
The Hamdan bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine (HBMCDM) is the first college established under the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences. As of June 2015, 60 residents, up from 52 in 2014, are enrolled, representing Emiratis and citizens of Bahrain, Greece, Jordan, India, Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the UK.
The Dubai Dental Clinic was chosen to support the Hamdan bin Mohammed Oral Hygiene Initiative that aims to screen more than 2,000 workers by year-end. As of June, 536 workers have been screened.
Medical simulation centre
The Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor Medical Simulation Centre (KHMSC) is the first state-of-the-art comprehensive training facility in the region. The number of healthcare professionals trained here has more than doubled - from 612 to 1,203. Since the centre's opening in 2012, over 4,000 students have been trained at the centre.
Medical library
Al Maktoum Medical Library (AMML) supports the medical community as well as the students, medical and academic staff by providing access to quality and authoritative information resources.
The number of patron registrants has increased and stands at 1,912, compared to 1,431 at the end of 2014. Close to 3,500 individuals visited the library, compared to 2,482 during the same period last year, to access over 15 electronic databases and e-resources, 16,500 e-books and journal titles.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com