DUBAI — The Dubai Executive Council, together with the Department of Health and Medical Services, announced yesterday that a joint-committee had been formed to prepare the groundwork for restructuring Dubai’s health sector.

This initiative comes within the Dubai Strategy that was launched recently by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

In the strategy, the health sector has to develop its services in order to further improve the quality of life and ensure a safe and healthy environment for all members of the community.

This committee includes leading consultants who will primarily identify the final vision of an enhanced health sector that caters to the community’s medical needs, and develop a comprehensive plan that guarantees that this vision is reached. Some of the important tasks to be undertaken by this team will include improving the quality of health and medical services to meet global standards, ensuring access to affordable healthcare for all members of the community, as well as increasing public health-awareness and putting together the public health plan.

The committee will establish the different operating and training processes for medical centres, regulate the production and import of foods and drugs, and help public and private sector companies in implementing employee health-awareness and healthcare programmes

Furthermore, plans to adopt a unified health insurance system for both UAE nationals and expatriates residents are also under way.