United Arab Emirates, Dubai, January 26, 2012: The Dubai Health Authority announced on the sidelines of the Arab Health Congress 2012, a pertinent project which the authority has been working on since two years- a comprehensive update on existing regulatory policies and guidelines for the health sector.
His Excellency Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid said, “Over the last two years, the DHA Health Regulation Department has worked with the health sector in Dubai to develop an update on the existing regulatory policies and guidelines.
“Updating the regulatory policies and guidelines for all facilities in the Emirate will ensure that facilities can cope with the present evolution in medicine. Moreover, it will ensure that we incorporate the rapid developments in medicine that have taken place across the world.
“The main aim of this update is to ensure the regulations that we draft for the health sector match the requirements for obtaining international accreditations as encouraging all entities in the Emirate of Dubai –private, government and free zone to obtain international accreditations is in line with the Dubai Strategic Plan.”
Dr Ramadan Ibrahim, Director of Health Regulation at the DHA said, “The update is presently in the draft stages and is up for consultation so that we can receive any further feedback from the health sector. The health sector has been closely involved from the beginning of the project and this is the last stage before we shortly announce the finalization of these regulatory policies and guidelines.
“These new policies and guidelines are much more comprehensive and we are confident that it will help further strengthen the health sector and will make it simpler for healthcare institutions to gain international accreditations.”
Dr Mohammed Oussama Kayali, Head of Health Regulation Section at the DHA said, “Six new regulatory policies and three new guidelines have been introduced which upon implementation will be applicable for all health facilities in the private sector, government sector and free zones expect for the Dubai Healthcare City Authority.
“The six regulatory updates are for Hospitals, Day Care Surgical Centres, Outpatients, Diagnostic Imaging, Clinical Laboratory and Home Healthcare and the guidelines are for Health Records, Health Facility (which includes planning, designing, construction and commissioning of healthcare facilities) and guidelines on prevention of dental infections and safety standards.”
Dr Kayali said the updated regulations are much more comprehensive than the existing regulations and said that they provide details on a host of requirements that health facilities have to adhere to in terms of clinical requirements. This includes a comprehensive check list that healthcare facilities have to follow for patient safety, infection control, informed consent, regulations for visiting physicians and diagnostic facilities will also have to adhere to certain ethical obligations.