Health care has come a long way in Abu Dhab

From four small medical facilities and insufficient access to treatment in the 1970s, the health care sector in Abu Dhabi has grown phenomenally over the past four decades. Today, hundreds of hospitals and clinics dot the emirate's landscape, providing treatment in various medical specialities to more than 2.3 million residents in the emirate. And the sector continues to grow at an annual rate of 20 per cent, as an official from the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) reported at a recent medical conference in the capital. Speaking to Gulf News, Dr Omniyat Al Hajiri, manager of health promotion at the HAAD, said health care access had come a long way since the formation of the UAE. "In the mid-1970s, there were two hospitals in Abu Dhabi city, the Central Hospital and Al Jazeera Hospital, and two others in Al Ain. The vision of our leaders and their efforts have however completely transformed the level of health care in Abu Dhabi, with the emirate possessing 1,211 health care institutions in 2010, including 33 hospitals, 239 clinics and 408 pharmacies," Dr Omniyat said. In addition, 70 new health care facilities and 32 pharmaceutical institutions have also been licenced in 2011 to keep up with the growing demand for health care services in the emirate, Zaid Al Siksek, chief executive officer of the HAAD announced at a medical conference in October. "Most importantly, all residents and visitors have had mandatory health insurance since 2008. This is a major humanitarian step that was taken by our wise leadership, and perhaps the biggest achievement in the health sector to date. As a result of it, every blue-collar worker in the emirate, who now number more than one million, actually has medical support," Dr Omniyat explained. But this widespread access to medical services was not always a reality in the emirate. Initially, health care in the emirate was regulated by the General Authority for Health Services. In 2005, the first specialised health insurance provider, the National Health Insurance Company (Daman), was set up. Soon after, the Law No. 1 of 2007 concerning the establishment of the Health Authority Abu Dhabi led to the formation of Haad. The HAAD now regulates all public and private health care facilities, provides licences, ensures compliance with the minimum standards it sets and also oversees insurance providers. In 2007, the Emiri decree No 10 of 2007 also created the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) for the management and development of all public hospitals and clinics in the emirate, including renowned facilities like Corniche Hospital and Mafraq Hospital. In this way, the services of health care regulation and provision in the emirate were reformed. In addition, the Ministry of Health also issues certain guidelines and runs a national immunisation programme. Together with HAAD, it has stamped out many major communicable diseases, with the UAE being polio-free since 1995, and certified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as free from malaria since 2007. "However, in recent years, non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancers and cardiovascular conditions have emerged as the real threats because of the affluence that our community is now blessed with," Dr Omniyat pointed out. "We are therefore working with various government authorities, including the Ministry of Health, the Abu Dhabi Education Council, the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority and the municipalities, to encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles, especially as better choices are the only way we can reduce the incidence of these diseases amongst our population," she added. To that end, the HAAD's Weqaya programme regularly screens emiratis for their individual risks of developing communicable diseases. "And since 50 per cent of our population is below the age of 15 years, we also introduced the ‘Eat Right, Get Active' programme in 2010 across schools in the emirate to reach out to people at a young age, especially since lifestyle modifications have the greatest effect on overall health in the long term," Dr Omniyat said. Recently, the emirate has also seen a gradual blurring of the public-private divide in the management of hospitals. "Private provision of health care has proven to increase efficiency and improve quality, and this is a trend the HAAD is particularly interested in maintaining. But we continue to monitor performances and quality at all facilities," the official explained. While the provision of medical care has grown to encompass numerous specialities, including even neurosurgery and cancer care, certain critical gaps still exist in the sector. Dr Omniyat said that the HAAD had identified the need for more long-term care facilities for terminal patients, as well as physical rehabilitation services. "We also know that there has to be a greater focus on the fields of intensive care, neonatology and psychiatry, among others. So it is these fields we are currently working to strengthen," she said. "What is heartening however is to see how much improvement we have accomplished in the past four decades, and use it as an example to develop further. "At the same time, we also want to remind people that no matter how good the medical industry here, the real responsibility of good health lies with the individual," the official concluded.