IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Dubai-based telecom operator du has unveiled a new service during this Ramadan, offering its customers free phone consultation facility with experienced and locally licensed doctors during the Holy Month.

“du is pleased to announce a special offer from Mobile Doctors during the Holy Month of Ramadan. This will allow new callers to the 24-7 Physician Helpline service to use it free of charge and obtain access to quality healthcare throughout this special time of the year,” the operator said in a media statement sent to Emirates 24/7.

Launch of pilot partnership between DHA, Etisalat and Mobile Doctors 24-7

Dubai Healthcare Authority, DHA, has placed itself firmly at the forefront of the global transformation of Telemedicine to a one of a kind "24-7 Population Health Management" Programme with the launch of a pilot partnership between DHA, UAE-telecom provider Etisalat and Mobile Doctors 24-7.

The in-depth survey, which was carried out for the first time in the Middle East region, was aimed at determining the electronic efficiency of hospitals in Dubai, said a DHA statement.

The duo surveyed 21 private and four public hospitals in Dubai to determine to what extent hospitals use digital technology and whether they have a paperless environment.

The first phase of the Dubai Health Authority's e-claims project launched in June, when the Dubai government's 100,000 employees were transitioned into an electronic claims system.

Now, all the other public and private insurance plans in Dubai, one of seven emirates of the UAE's federal system, will be using the claims system.

Emirates and the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a digital health pass.

The initiative positions Dubai as one of the first cities in the world to implement digital verification of traveller medical records related to COVID-19 testing and vaccination.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Jamal Al Nuaimi, general manager – Abu Dhabi region – Etisalat, and Eng Zaid Al Siksek, CEO of HAAD, setting out a collaboration between the two organisations.

The MoU lays out a joint vision of using technology to improve quality of life for individuals, families and communities.

The workshop was conducted by the GIA's IT team at their Dubai office in Silicon Oasis Authority Building. The following representatives from MoH attended the workshop: Badreya Thani, IT Strategy Co-ordinator, Adel Abd El Raheman, Projects Manager - IT Dept and Ahmed Elhamahmy, Customer Relations Manager - IT.

The workshop was organised for the MoH staff to know how to use Khadamate system within their organizational structure; how they can use the system to enter details about all the services they offer. It aimed that MoH would adopt the system and train their team to use Khadamate.

Overshadowed by the glitz of more consumer-friendly applications ‘mobile health’, or mHealth, has quietly been taking the world by storm, as synergies grow between the telecommunications and healthcare industries.

Ministry of Health launches online booking service ‘The Record’ on smart patient portal

The online service, which is available in all the ministry’s health centres and hospitals, creates a medical record for each patient.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention has launched an online booking service ‘The Record’ on the smart patient portal, an official announced on Saturday.

Dr Mahmoud Fikri, Assistant Undersecretary for Health Policies at the MoH, stated that the health legislations department at the ministry works on preparing the terms and articles of the draft law.

“This is based on studying and examining all related issues to the competent health authorities in collaboration with legislation bodies in the UAE,” he added.

This was stated after the meeting that was held in the ministry of health premises in Dubai and chaired by Dr. Mahmoud Fikri, Assistant Undersecretary for Health Policies, and attended by the directors of school health departments in the medical districts as well as directors of primary healthcare departments.

SEHA has implemented the programme in a number of its hospitals and facilities, which has enabled six hospitals to achieve level six certification in the electronic medical records (EMR) Adoption Model of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). This certification ranks SEHA hospitals among the highest ranking hospitals as compared to the United States of America and the Asia-Pacific region, which use the same model. These hospitals are namely CornicheHospital, MadinatZayedHospital, TawamHospital, Al Ain Hospital, Al Rahba Hospital, all of which attained the sixth phase of the HIMSS Analytics’ EMR Adoption Model during the years 2012 and 2013.

The Global Hawk Imaging and Diagnostics centre, the first telemedicine facility to be licensed by the Dubai Health Authority, opened yesterday.

"A patient can talk to any expert in the UAE or worldwide through live video-conferencing," said Dr Nawab Shafi Ul Mulk, a specialist radiologist at the centre.

Doctors can immediately access all of the patient's information through digital records during the consultation.

Sgt. Timothy Kusik, the noncommissioned officer in charge for Task Force Medical East in Bagram, Afghanistan, and his team are working to place MC4 laptops at the bedside in treatment rooms and are evaluating installation of the Army's Joint Telemedicine Network (JTMN) at remote locations to improve data access and to explore video teleconference capabilities.

Yusuf Ibrahim's computer screen is awash with colourful maps and charts. From his desk in downtown Nairobi, Ibrahim can track outbreaks of deadly diseases and keep on eye on the progress of potentially tricky pregnancies. "With the touch of a button I can see what's going on across the country in real-time," Ibrahim said. "It is amazing."

Ibrahim's computer is collecting vital health and epidemiological data from hundreds of miles away via travelling healthworkers with mobile phones.

Lack of existing health-care systems and underdeveloped privacy laws are likely to push faster adoption of mobile health business models in Africa compared to developed countries.

Operators and partners from developed countries are projecting that it will take at least five years before they can navigate through laws and develop appropriate business models, but in Africa, m-health projects are taking off.

He said in a continent where majority of the population lacked access to quality healthcare services, telemedicine offered a better option to bring comprehensive healthcare to the people, using information technology (IT).

Telemedicine is a concept where rural and deprived health centres are linked up to state-of-the-art health facilities in urban areas or a given area to enable medical personnel to diagnose and treat patients through the internet or any IT means.

The free texts from South Africa's largest HIV treatment site are part of a push in Africa to boost health by targeting the continent's 624 million mobile phone subscribers.

"I check my cellphone all the time -- I think that's why it [the drug regimen] is working so well," said patient Emily Moletsane, 40, in a queue at Johannesburg's Themba Lethu clinic which averages more than 450 people a day.

Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, said while inaugurating the center that India is keen to work in partnership with AU in expanding ICT facilities in the continent.

Ethiopia was the first country to participate in the Indian taxpayer-funded project, called the Pan-African e-Network, and Nigeria is scheduled to go online in June.