Health system profile - United arab Emirates - What is GIS - World ...

Health Systems Profile- UAE Regional Health Systems Observatory- EMRO
2000. There are plans for 17 new Federal Hospitals, more Private and DOHMS hospitals,
and the number of beds is set to increase to more than 8,700 beds, one bed for every
300 people, during the next decade 3 .
4.2 Public Health Care System
Organizational structure of public system
The sharp increase and wide distribution of the population in UAE following the vast
socio-economic development in the last 3 decade made it imperative for the MOH to
seek a more decentralized strategy for providing health services. Article 36 of the Council
of Ministers Order No (11) of 1989 concerning the organizational structure of the
ministry stipulates that the 9 medical districts be established so that each district have
administrative and technical capacity to plan, organize, supervise and develop its own
health care services. The administrative set-up at the district level represents all sectors
of the ministry in the form of corresponding departments and sections.
The Government of Dubai administers its own Department of Health and Medical
Services (DOHMS), which is independent of the Federal UAE Ministry of Health
administered from Abu Dhabi. The Federal Ministry of Health (FMH) is responsible for
healthcare across the UAE, and operates hospitals in all the Northern Emirates. The
DOHMS is responsible for three hospitals and 18 health centres, the Federal Ministry for
two hospitals in Dubai, and seven more in the other Northern Emirates. There are five
private hospitals and 286 private medical centres, general and dental clinics in Dubai.
Curative services received special attention by the state in recent years. These services
have been developed through well planned strategies, setting specific and precise
national performance standards and supporting the facilities with modern equipment.
The Ministry of Health has established a complete network of health centers and
hospitals and units and thus made the service more accessible to meet the ever
expanding population needs and new technologies. Curative services of the MOH are
managed by the central departments at headquarters and corresponding departments in
all medical district. These departments prepare national plans and programs and
supervise their implementation according to the regulations and standards set by the
MOH to ensure optimal performance and adequate service. These departments include:
The Department of Planning and Computers:
The department of planning is responsible for the development and formulation of
national health policies before submitting them to the responsible authorities for final
approval. The department has a number of sections that include:
Section of Statistics: This is formed of a central unit and focal points of statisticians in
all medical districts, hospitals, centers and other departments. The responsibility of this
section is to collect and analyze data from all these outlets, derive relevant indicators
and publish periodical reports that guide the planning process.
Computer center: which was established in 1993 to facilitate the development of
information systems and upgrade them to improve the performance of all health
institutions. The center has already introduced among other things, new systems for the
medical stores, registration of births & deaths, health cards, blood banks and other
systems for hospitals, and licensing in addition to the procurement and distribution of
computers.
19