Health care sector to undergo reforms

(Olivia Olarte) - Khaleej Times

26 April 2010, 6:33 AM

The UAE healthcare sector will undergo massive reforms with several initiatives currently under process at the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Some of these initiatives included a revision of drug registration law, a new system to control prescription drugs, the establishment of the Emirates Health Authority and the introduction of smart evaluation certificate.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Healthcare Innovative Summit (InnovHealth) in the capital on Sunday, 
Dr Amin Al Amiri, CEO of Medical 
Practice and Licence at MoH, said the ministry will come out with a revised law on drug registration aimed at coping with the new trends of medicine and new developments in the country, as well as, in response to the demands to give more support for the private sector of the pharmaceutical industry.

“A new law on drug registration will be coming out soon... to replace the existing one which was into effect since 1983,” Dr Al Amiri told Khaleej Times.

The revised legislation will provide backing for international pharmaceutical companies to have their regional offices in the country and bring their manufacturing business here through joint venture agreements with local manufacturers. It will also allow chain of local pharmacies to operate with up to 20 or more branches in the country.

There are currently 8,413 pharmaceutical items registered in the 
country including conventional medicine, controlled drugs, veterinary, herbal and medicines produced from natural foods.

Dr Al Amiri also disclosed that a 
new system to control prescription drugs will also be put into effect after findings of abuse by many teenagers and young people.  The new e-system will enable pharmacies from across the emirate to check if the patient has already 
been prescribed and dispensed similar drugs or narcotics at another pharmacy, in order to alert the authorities.

Further details of this collaboration between the MoH, Ministry of Interior and the Dubai Police will be disclosed at a later stage, said Dr Al Amiri. A 
new health authority to regulate the northern emirates – the Emirates Health Authority (EHA) - will also be launched soon. The EHA will be the third local health authorities and will have similar regulatory functions as the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD).

The establishment of EHA is in an effort to improve health services in the northern emirates and “give independency to our hospital for bettercompetition similar to the other local health authorities… that they will run their services by themselves,” said Dr Al Amiri. He added that EHA will take responsibility over the14 hospitals belonging to the MoH, 67 health centres, 10 
preventive medicine, seven dental 
clinics and one blood transfusion and research centre.

Mid next month, the health ministry will be launching its New Smart Evaluation Certificate to benefit the healthcare professionals applying at other healthcare facilities. With the current practice, health workers applying for positions at different healthcare facilities will have to copy and submit their documents in paper.

“With the new smart evaluation certificate, all files are on the chip and all hospitals will be able to read your file,” explained Dr Al Amiri. “It will be unified in the country…starting with the 14 hospitals under the MoH and to include all the private hospitals. This will be among the top information technology programme in the country,” he 
pointed out.

The two-day Innovative Health summit, which ends on Monday 26.04.10, was attended by key decision makers in the healthcare sector in the UAE and the region, including senior officials from MoH, DHA and HAAD. It was inaugurated by Dr Salem Al Darmaki, acting director general at MoH.