UAE is prepared for any future pandemic; official recalls lessons learnt during Covid
Al Rand said that the UAE's National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) is always ready with strategies to fight potential pandemics. He recalled that once Covid-19 was announced on December 31st, 2019, NCEMA held a meeting five days later to track flights coming from China and had prepared for the inevitable.
He added, 'always in the UAE, we prepare ourselves for any pandemic or any instability. So, we bring all the stakeholders together. We make plans, we use artificial intelligence, to predict any sort of pandemic or disease.' He said that there are negotiations with vaccine manufacturing companies to provide vaccines for pandemics, such as the flu, Mpox and Ebola, not only for the UAE population, but for other countries as well.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
Al Rand continued, 'the vision of the leader of the UAE is proactive. The late Sheikh Zayed, always said, 'you should be there to help also not only your people who are living with you but help others. Other nations need it'.'
'No one will be safe unless all of us are safe,' Al Rand added, saying that leaders' focus should be working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to protect all members of the community, not only those which reside within their country's borders.
'We have prepared a list of companies who manufacture vaccines, and we negotiate with them. During the pandemic, for example, and now for the flu, for the Mpox, Ebola, all these companies have been traced and negotiated with, and to see how we can have the vaccine, not only for the UAE, but also to help others,' the MoHAP official said.
Regional approach is the only real solution to overcoming a pandemic, Adonis Georgiadis, the Greek minister of health and Dr Jean Kaseya, the director general of Africa CDC reiterated. 'Pandemics are accelerating, mostly because of decrease in funding,' Dr Kaseya said. He added that one of the main lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic was to take a regional rather than a country-based approach.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hi Dubai
an hour ago
- Hi Dubai
MoHAP Strengthens Ties with Private Hospitals to Advance National Newborn Screening Programme
The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has held a coordination meeting with private hospital representatives to enhance the national newborn screening programme, ensuring it meets the UAE's approved national standards in line with federal health legislation. The initiative reflects MoHAP's commitment to proactive healthcare and the highest standards in preventive services. The programme, implemented under a UAE Cabinet Resolution on newborn medical screening, follows strict procedures, standards, and regulatory frameworks defined by the Health Regulation Sector. These include accuracy monitoring, comprehensive clinical and biochemical assessments, and the early detection of genetic, hereditary, and other health conditions. 'Riayati,' the digital healthcare platform for the National Unified Medical Record (NUMR), plays a key role in the initiative by providing an integrated database for automation, health data management, and real-time patient record access. The system enhances patient safety, improves efficiency, and supports informed clinical decision-making. The meeting covered strategic themes, including detailed reviews of protocols for newborn screenings, follow-ups, hearing tests, and detection of critical congenital heart defects. It also addressed circulars issued by the Health Regulation Sector to ensure consistent application of screening protocols across public and private facilities. MoHAP underlined that the programme operates through a unified network of hospitals nationwide, supported by specialised reference laboratories, to establish a standardised approach for early detection and prevention of complications. Safeguarding newborn health remains a strategic national priority, the Ministry stressed, aligning preventive and therapeutic services with global best practices. The Ministry also highlighted the critical role of private hospitals as strategic partners in achieving national healthcare objectives, emphasising ongoing coordination and knowledge exchange to build a resilient and integrated health system. Newborn screening involves collecting blood samples for biochemical testing at the National Reference Laboratory, alongside hearing assessments and cardiac examinations. Additional tests may be introduced in line with evolving international medical standards. News Source: Emirates News Agency
Al Etihad
2 hours ago
- Al Etihad
MoHAP strengthens partnership with private hospitals to enhance national newborn screening programme
12 Aug 2025 16:14 DUBAI (ALETIHAD) The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) held a coordination meeting with representatives from private hospitals to discuss ways to improve the national newborn screening programme and ensure its alignment with the UAE's approved national standards in accordance with federal health meeting was held as part of the Ministry's commitment to promoting proactive healthcare and achieving the highest standards of quality in preventive health a press statement on Tuesday, the ministry said that these measures are implemented in line with the Cabinet Resolution on newborn medical screening and the directives issued by the Health Regulation Sector, which define the procedures, standards, and regulatory framework for newborn include ongoing monitoring and validation of tests to ensure accuracy, alongside comprehensive clinical and biochemical meeting aimed to support MoHAP's ongoing efforts to standardise regulatory and technical procedures for newborn screenings, ensuring the highest levels of accuracy and efficiency in early detection of genetic disorders, hereditary diseases, and other health efforts are supported by 'Riayati,' the digital healthcare platform for the National Unified Medical Record (NUMR) programme featuring an integrated database. This platform offers innovative solutions in automation and health data platform enhances patient safety, improves efficiency and service quality, and facilitates timely access to patient records, supporting informed clinical decision-making and advancing MoHAP's preventive health and service improvement meeting addressed several strategic themes, including a detailed review of the UAE Cabinet Resolution concerning newborn medical screening. This resolution outlines the procedures, protocols, and regulatory framework governing the screening process, ranging from test result follow-ups and accuracy verification to clinical and biochemical evaluations. It also includes the standard protocols for hearing screening and the detection of critical congenital heart the meeting reviewed circulars issued by the Health Regulation Sector, aimed at ensuring unified and consistent implementation of newborn screening protocols across both public and private healthcare institutions in the country, and raising community awareness about the importance of these critical programme is executed through a unified network of government and private hospitals across the UAE, laying the foundation for a unified approach to early detection, preventing potential complications, and designating specialised reference stressed that safeguarding the health of newborns is a strategic priority within the UAE's national healthcare system, reaffirming its keenness to provide integrated preventive and therapeutic healthcare services that align with the latest global standards and advanced medical Ministry added that it is committed to promoting a culture of disease prevention, supported by advanced healthcare systems capable of providing sustainable healthy lifestyles for all segments of Ministry further highlighted the importance of effective partnership with the private health sector, describing it as a strategic ally in achieving national health emphasised that ongoing coordination and the exchange of expertise among all components of the health system are fundamental to building a resilient and integrated healthcare noted that newborn screening involves collecting a blood sample for biochemical testing at the National Reference Laboratory to identify potential health conditions, particularly hereditary disorders. The screening also includes hearing assessments to detect impairments, cardiac examinations to identify critical congenital heart defects, and any additional tests introduced in line with global best practices.
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
UAE: Ministry strengthens partnership with private hospitals to enhance newborn screening programme
The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) held a coordination meeting with representatives from private hospitals to discuss ways to improve the national newborn screening programme and ensure its alignment with the UAE's approved national standards in accordance with federal health legislation. The meeting was held as part of the Ministry's commitment to promoting proactive healthcare and achieving the highest standards of quality in preventive health services. These measures are implemented in line with the Cabinet Resolution on newborn medical screening and the directives issued by the Health Regulation Sector, which define the procedures, standards, and regulatory framework for newborn examinations. They include ongoing monitoring and validation of tests to ensure accuracy, alongside comprehensive clinical and biochemical assessments. The meeting aimed to support MoHAP's ongoing efforts to standardise regulatory and technical procedures for newborn screenings, ensuring the highest levels of accuracy and efficiency in early detection of genetic disorders, hereditary diseases, and other health conditions. These efforts are supported by 'Riayati,' the digital healthcare platform for the National Unified Medical Record (NUMR) programme featuring an integrated database. This platform offers innovative solutions in automation and health data management. The platform enhances patient safety, improves efficiency and service quality, and facilitates timely access to patient records, supporting informed clinical decision-making and advancing MoHAP's preventive health and service improvement objectives. The meeting addressed several strategic themes, including a detailed review of the UAE Cabinet Resolution concerning newborn medical screening. This resolution outlines the procedures, protocols, and regulatory framework governing the screening process, ranging from test result follow-ups and accuracy verification to clinical and biochemical evaluations. It also includes the standard protocols for hearing screening and the detection of critical congenital heart defects. Additionally, the meeting reviewed circulars issued by the Health Regulation Sector, aimed at ensuring unified and consistent implementation of newborn screening protocols across both public and private healthcare institutions in the country, and raising community awareness about the importance of these critical screenings. The programme is executed through a unified network of government and private hospitals across the UAE, laying the foundation for a unified approach to early detection, preventing potential complications, and designating specialised reference laboratories. MoHAP stressed that safeguarding the health of newborns is a strategic priority within the UAE's national healthcare system, reaffirming its keenness to provide integrated preventive and therapeutic healthcare services that align with the latest global standards and advanced medical practices. The Ministry added that it is committed to promoting a culture of disease prevention, supported by advanced healthcare systems capable of providing sustainable healthy lifestyles for all segments of society. The Ministry also highlighted the importance of effective partnership with the private health sector, describing it as a strategic ally in achieving national health objectives. It emphasised that ongoing coordination and the exchange of expertise among all components of the health system are fundamental to building a resilient and integrated healthcare framework. MoHAP noted that newborn screening involves collecting a blood sample for biochemical testing at the National Reference Laboratory to identify potential health conditions, particularly hereditary disorders. The screening also includes hearing assessments to detect impairments, cardiac examinations to identify critical congenital heart defects, and any additional tests introduced in line with global best practices.
