Latest news with #DoH
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Arnot community receives much-needed mobile clinic
The Mpumalanga MEC for health, Sasekani Manzini, said the Mpumalanga Department of Health (DoH) has plans to build a permanent facility to service Arnot residents. This after the Arnot OpCo Mine in the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality handed over a new mobile clinic in Arnot near Middelburg last Tuesday. 'The mobile clinic has all the services you will find in a permanent structure. This is a gift that will make the work of the Mpumalanga DoH easier and we are very grateful,' Manzini told the community members at the handover. 'As government, we fully embrace public-private partnerships because they are ideal in helping both the government and the private sector to touch and impact people's lives positively. Plans are currently under way to erect a permanent clinic structure in the area to continue to serve the masses of the province.' ALSO READ: Fake, expired and unsafe food products confiscated in Hazyview Arnot OpCo's CEO, Bontle Aphane, echoed Manzini's words while also encouraging all men to make healthier lifestyle decisions and follow through with clinical check-ups. 'The mine is determined to work hard for the benefit of the company and the communities they operate in,' said Aphane. ALSO READ: Eight hours without electricity on Sunday – which areas of Mbombela will be affected? Manzini urged the public to consistently check their health status, making use of health facilities available within communities, affirming the DoH's aim to close the 134 000 HIV treatment gap by December 2025. This campaign was launched two weeks ago. 'It should be the norm to everyone to visit their nearest facility to check their health, even when they do not feel sick,' she said. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
TECHx
4 days ago
- Health
- TECHx
Abu Dhabi Boosts Healthcare Cybersecurity Readiness
Home » Emerging technologies » Cyber Security » Abu Dhabi Boosts Healthcare Cybersecurity Readiness The Department of Health, Abu Dhabi (DoH), in partnership with the UAE Cyber Security Council, announced the successful completion of a comprehensive cybersecurity drill. The initiative aimed to strengthen cyber resilience in the UAE healthcare sector. The exercise was held at Bab Al Bahr Hotel in Abu Dhabi and brought together participants from various DoH-affiliated entities. The drill featured simulated cyberattack scenarios. It tested the readiness of healthcare institutions to respond to digital threats. Officials reported that the exercise evaluated the robustness of communication protocols and incident response mechanisms. It also demonstrated the importance of safeguarding patient data and securing medical services during cyber incidents. Moreover, the exercise revealed best practices in cybersecurity behaviours and digital infrastructure protection. The goal was to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of healthcare services, even during cyber threats. Dr. Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government, praised DoH's efforts. He reported that the Council is fully committed to supporting government entities with advanced training and digital safety tools. He highlighted that empowering professionals with cybersecurity skills is vital for protecting sensitive data and treatment files. According to the Council, cybersecurity is a national priority. It emphasized the need for a secure digital infrastructure across all sectors, including healthcare, education, and energy. The Council also reported ongoing efforts to promote digital resilience through technical guidance, advisory support, and specialized training. DoH showcased its Medical Command Operations Centre during the drill. The demonstration highlighted key protocols for protecting patient data and maintaining service continuity. Officials noted that the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi was the first health regulator in the UAE and the region to launch a tailored cybersecurity strategy for the healthcare sector. This strategy serves as a holistic framework for digital safety. It outlines core principles for proactively addressing cyber threats and deploying structured response systems. The initiative reflects the UAE leadership's forward-thinking approach to navigating digital transformation challenges. Key highlights of the cybersecurity drill included: Simulation of cyberattack scenarios and response evaluation Presentation of digital healthcare services and data protection protocols This effort reinforces the commitment of both DoH and the UAE Cyber Security Council to secure national health infrastructure and build long-term cyber resilience in healthcare.
Al Etihad
4 days ago
- Health
- Al Etihad
Cyber Security Council, DoH boost cyber resilience in healthcare
30 May 2025 14:25 ABU DHABI (WAM)The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), in a strategic partnership with the UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC), has conducted a comprehensive cybersecurity drill aimed at strengthening cyber resilience across the healthcare drill simulated best practices and cybersecurity behaviours among professionals in this vital field. It also sought to reinforce the sector's secure digital infrastructure, further cementing DoH's leadership in harnessing digital health technologies to deliver world-class exercise involved simulated cyberattack scenarios to assess the readiness of healthcare facilities and enhance their ability to respond effectively to digital incidents. It also tested the robustness of established communication and incident response protocols under cyber threat initiative aligns with the Cyber Security Council's commitment to fostering close collaboration with public sector institutions, reflecting its strategic vision to safeguard the nation's digital infrastructure. The Council places a strong emphasis on empowering all critical sectors, including healthcare, education, energy, and public services, with advanced cyber capabilities to counter increasing digital threats technical and advisory support and specialised training programmes, the Council works to ensure service continuity and protect national data, thereby bolstering digital resilience and promoting cybersecurity excellence in line with global standards. Commenting on the collaboration, Dr. Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government, praised DoH's sustained efforts to enhance its digital defence capabilities and its commitment to delivering innovative digital services that elevate healthcare quality. He affirmed the Cyber Security Council's readiness to support all government entities through tailored training and programmes, enabling them to keep pace with rapid technological and cybersecurity advancements while ensuring data Al Kuwaiti noted that these efforts are essential in safeguarding patient data privacy, enhancing the digital safety skills of healthcare professionals, and empowering them to respond swiftly to information security and treatment file-related emphasised that the Council is dedicated to establishing a strong, secure digital infrastructure across the UAE, embedding cybersecurity as a fundamental component of both institutional and individual culture—fully aligned with the UAE leadership's forward-thinking approach to navigating the challenges of rapid digital at Bab Al Bahr Hotel in Abu Dhabi, the drill brought together trainees from various DoH-affiliated entities. It focused on evaluating the healthcare sector's preparedness to face growing cyber threats and included an overview of global best practices and practical recommendations to ensure that healthcare institutions are equipped to handle diverse digital risks. The exercise aimed to help maintain the uninterrupted delivery of essential healthcare services, even during cyber drill also featured a detailed presentation of DoH's digital healthcare services, highlighting the importance of implementing advanced and precise protocols to securely store and protect patient data and sensitive information, ensuring the highest levels of confidentiality and privacy. It further included a realistic simulation of the department's Medical Command Operations Centre, demonstrating measures to secure vital health data and ensure the continuity of medical drill represents a critical step in enhancing cyber resilience in the healthcare sector, which remains a primary target for cyberattacks due to the sensitive nature of the data it holds, data often exploited for identity theft and digital fraud. In light of this, DoH and the Cyber Security Council have developed various risk scenarios designed to equip healthcare institutions with the foresight and tools needed to prepare for ever-evolving cyber the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi was the first health regulator in the UAE and the region to launch a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy tailored to the healthcare a first-of-its-kind initiative, the strategy serves as a holistic framework that outlines the core principles of Abu Dhabi's approach to safeguarding this critical sector. It aims to enhance the resilience of healthcare infrastructure against cyber risks through proactive threat anticipation and the implementation of efficient, structured response mechanisms.
The Citizen
23-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Mpumalanga health department on a mission to trace over 100 000 HIV-positive citizens
As a way of tracing more than 134 000 people in the province who have tested positive for HIV but are not on treatment, a Close the Gap campaign was launched on Friday, May 16. The campaign was launched at Rob Ferreira Hospital by the Mpumalanga Department of Health (DoH), in collaboration with the Mpumalanga Aids Council and other stakeholders in the health sector. ALSO READ: 43 000 Mpumalanga residents lose jobs in first quarter of 2025 This national campaign to locate the 1.1 million South African citizens who have tested positive for HIV, but are not on treatment, was launched in February by the minister of health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. The campaign also seeks to wage a war against TB, to ensure that the disease is eradicated. According to the department, the province is faced with the task of locating more than 134 000 people and putting them on antiretroviral treatment, while 9 380 must receive TB treatment, to ensure they live longer and lead healthy lifestyles. 'The health department is banking on our healthcare facilities and the support and co-operation of other stakeholders to realise our objective, thus successfully contributing to the national target of 1.1 million,' read a press release. The Ehlanzeni District has been identified as the region with the highest numbers of HIV-positive people who are not on treatment. The MEC for health, Sasekani Manzini, said the department has in the past months been able to trace 13 000 patients and the aim is to trace the remaining 121 000 by December. These include people who have taken their medication before and then defaulted, and the people who have never been on treatment before. Manzini said they are concerned that many HIV-positive men have never been on medication, and that most children who were born positive are not receiving medication. This is according to research they have conducted. 'The men do not test and say as long as their partners have tested it means they do not have to go to the clinic to test. Children are under the care of their parents and they need to make sure their children are receiving the necessary treatment.' ALSO READ: Over 1 000 illegal miners arrested across Lowveld Manzini said they are going to do what they did during the Covid-19 pandemic. They will use the same procedure so that they can identify the people they are looking for. 'We are going back to the clinic base campaign. Each clinic has a certain number of persons who are not receiving treatment and who need to be traced. We have traditional practitioners, leaders, councillors and business people who we will work together with to make sure that everyone who needs to take treatment is doing so.' Sfiso Nkala of People Living With HIV said some people decide to stop taking their medication due to the poor treatment they receive from healthcare workers at health facilities. Trudy Khumalo of the youth sector in Mpumalanga, said the counsellors need to change the way they render their services at healthcare facilities. 'Instead of giving assistance and providing therapy to patients, they ask unnecessary questions which make the patients uncomfortable.' Khumalo added that the long queues at healthcare facilities are also a problem. 'Young people do not like sitting and waiting for their treatment for many hours, so they decide not to go collect their medication,' she said. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Al Etihad
23-05-2025
- Health
- Al Etihad
DoH, OECD to advance regulatory excellence in Abu Dhabi's healthcare sector
23 May 2025 11:55 ABU DHABI (WAM) The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) has signed a strategic agreement with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to advance healthcare regulatory excellence in Abu new phase of the partnership will see the OECD conduct a comprehensive study to assess and support DoH's regulatory reform journey. The project aims to enhance Abu Dhabi's healthcare regulatory framework by integrating Good Regulatory Practices (GRP), improving transparency, strengthening accountability, and fostering high-quality, sustainable healthcare for future Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of DoH, said, "A modern, high-performing healthcare system depends on robust regulation. By embedding evidence-based practices and international benchmarks, we are creating a more efficient and resilient regulatory environment, ultimately improving outcomes for patients and providers alike.'This partnership with the OECD is a critical step in strengthening the regulatory foundation. It reinforces the department's commitment to world-class healthcare that is safe, transparent, and accountable, she newly launched Phase II builds on the foundation laid in 2019, when Phase I of the project focused on evaluating and enhancing DoH's policy framework, building institutional capacity, and embedding evidence-based decision-making. Since then, DoH has implemented many of the OECD's recommendations, resulting in greater predictability, optimised resource allocation, and improved regulatory II will include a review of progress made on GRP reforms since 2019, the delivery of targeted technical assistance to reduce compliance costs, and the development of a robust public consultation OECD will also assess DoH's regulatory performance using the Indicators of Regulatory Policy and Governance (IREG) framework, which evaluates key areas such as regulatory impact assessments, stakeholder engagement, and post-implementation review. An OECD in-person mission to Abu Dhabi will evaluate how existing healthcare regulations are reviewed and implemented, ensuring the new framework supports both current needs and future ambitions.
