16 July 2019, Abu Dhabi – UAE: National Reference Laboratory (NRL), part of Mubadala’s network of world-class healthcare providers, today announced that it has signed a Laboratory Referral Services Agreement with United Eastern Medical Services (UEMedical) Group, one of Abu Dhabi’s leading private healthcare operators.

NRL will become the exclusive provider of referral laboratory testing to all facilities of the UEMedical healthcare network in the UAE, including its flagship hospital Danat Al Emarat for Women & Children, HealthPlus Network of Specialty Centers, HealthPlus Fertility Centers and Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi. Patients of UEMedical network will benefit from NRL’s high-quality standards, specialized logistics solutions and comprehensive menu of more than 4,700 tests, one of the largest test menus globally thanks to NRL’s partnership with LabCorp, the world’s leading diagnostics company.

Abdulla Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Head of Mubadala Healthcare, said: “Mubadala has built a network of world-class healthcare providers and we are continuously looking for opportunities to partner with private healthcare providers. This partnership allows us to deliver better results and outcomes for the patients, to provide unified laboratory services across all healthcare facilities of UEMedical, and, ultimately, to have a positive impact on the healthcare sector across the country and the region.”

Commenting on the collaboration, Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, CEO & Managing Director of UEMedical, said: “As one of the emirate’s leading healthcare providers, our partnership NRL, one of the most experienced providers of laboratory solutions in the region, will complement our group laboratory department with additional services and improved deliverables. NRL’s expertise will be very well received by our network of physicians and patients, who are eager to gain access to best-in-class laboratory referral services. This collaboration will help us make another significant stride towards achieving our goals to provide the highest levels of care to the residents of the UAE and support the nation’s healthcare transition to innovative, patient-centric services.”

Patient samples from all of UEMedical’s facilities across the UAE will now be exclusively handled by NRL and tested either in-country by NRL or by LabCorp in the USA.

Abdul Hamid Oubeisi, Chief Executive Officer of NRL, added: “We are very pleased that UEMedical has agreed to partner exclusively with NRL for laboratory referral services. This new partnership further demonstrates the trust that healthcare providers place in our services and quality. We look forward to providing UEMedical’s facilities with advanced, best-in-class laboratory diagnostic services across a wide range of disciplines, ensuring optimum and seamless treatment journeys for all their patients.”

Majd Abu Zant, Chief Operating Officer of UEMedical said, “Across our different facilities in the UAE, we serve over 200,000 patients who will be benefiting from our collaboration with NRL offering now the full spectrum of laboratory tests complementing the performed tests in our in-house laboratory. We are indeed joining hands today to deliver high end diagnostic services to the community of Abu Dhabi and beyond.”

NRL’s robust logistics solutions will guarantee sample integrity and timely sample transport from UEMedical’s facilities across the UAE, and will deliver reliable and fast test results. Additionally, best-practice connectivity solutions, including a web-portal and a two-way real-time interface between NRL’s Laboratory Information System and the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) of UEMedical, will ensure an accurate and efficient process for test ordering and results delivery. This paper-less system will help reduce the risk of human error and work duplication, and will greatly enhance quality and patient outcomes. Via the interface connection, physicians will be able to access and order from NRL’s comprehensive test menu 24/7. Laboratory results will be reported in real-time and automatically stored in each patient’s unique EMR.

NRL operates the largest network of laboratories in the Middle East accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), widely recognized globally as the leading accreditation body for clinical laboratories. Its network of laboratories in the UAE encompasses a total of 10 facilities, including two reference laboratories owned by NRL and 8 on-site laboratories managed by NRL on behalf of its hospital or medical center clients. In addition, NRL offers referral testing services to a host of clients in the country and the region.

19 June 2019 – Abu Dhabi: In collaboration with the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH), the 2nd Primary Care Conference was held today at at St. Regis Hotel Corniche, with more than 150 physicians, nurses, pharmacists and specialists in primary care and family medicine participating. The conference was organized by United Eastern Medical Services (UEMedical), represented by Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women & Children, HealthPlus Network of Specialty Centers and Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi, and supported by Abu Dhabi Health Data Services (Malaffi).

H.E. Mohamed Hamad Al Hameli, Undersecretary of Department of Health (DOH) emphasized on the importance of primary care services which are considered the main entry towards healthcare services. Primary care plays a vital role in the healthcare delivery system, dealing with the majority of cases before the need for specialized care.

Mr. Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, CEO and Managing Director of UEMedical in Abu Dhabi said that primary care centers can deal with 70 to 80% of the cases, which shows the importance of these centers in the healthcare sector which helps in decreasing the pressure on hospitals and specialized clinics.

“In line with DOH’s vision and our group’s vision, we have placed a special focus on primary care with the opening of a network of primary care centers in Abu Dhabi under the name of HealthPlus Family Health Centers, and we managed to get our different facilities licensed as primary care centers, embedding family medicine specialty in our facilities. Patients that require specialized treatments would be referred to specialized centers within our group and to Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women & Children in Abu Dhabi,” said Mr. Al Shorafa Al Hammadi.

The one-day conference included 12 different presentations on the latest technologies in primary care and treatment using telemedicine in this sector.

Mr. Neil Clark, Acting Director, Investment and Capacity Management Division at Department of Health Abu Dhabi talked about Abu Dhabi’s journey to establish a strategy for primary care, in which he showcased primary care services in Abu Dhabi. He also clarified that there’s a specialized committee for primary care in Abu Dhabi which consists of members of a number of hospitals and family medicine physicians, who work continuously to improve strategies for primary care.

Dr. Samina Ahmed, Chairperson of the Conference, Family Medicine Consultant and Medical Director at HealthPlus Family Centers presented a lecture about the primary care model inAbu Dhabi. She said that international studies show that 75 to 85% of the cases can be treated in primary care centers, and commitment towards this will limit the pressure on emergency departments and specialized clinics in hospitals. This could be achieved by awareness programs and educating the community about the importance and benefits of going to primary care and family medicine physicians as a first step.

Dr. Yousif Alzaabi, Unit Head, Foresight – Strategy at Department of Health Abu Dhabi talked about digital health transformation and telehealth, what are the current trends and what are we on the lookout for. He said, “by having a human-centric approach and a future-oriented thinking, the Department of Health is making huge strides in the digital health domain and taking bold actions to accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies in the digital health realm.

Mr. Erik Koornneef, Vice President, Policy and Compliance, Abu Dhabi Health Data Services “Malaffi” presented a lecture about the importance of Malaffi, which is the first Health Information Exchange in the Middle East, part of the DOH’s strategic priorities, and is a key component in the digital transformation of the healthcare system in Abu Dhabi. He said, “Malaffi will facilitate the meaningful real-time exchange of health information between healthcare providers, healthcare professionals and government authorities across Abu Dhabi. By providing instant access to the patient’s medical history, Malaffi will empower primary care clinicians to coordinate the patient care more effectively and help to increase the quality of care for the patients in Abu Dhabi.”

“A study in Finland found a 16.4% decrease in the number of radiology examinations and an increase in primary care referrals to special care by 43.6% over a five-year period.” Mr. Erik added.

Dr. Mariam Al Wahede, Head of Cardiovascular Department at Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre which follows Department of Health Abu Dhabi talked about the role of primary care in general health, especially in the preventive medicine, emphasizing on the importance of intervention before any medical problems happen, through avoiding risk factors like smoking, obesity and unhealthy diet, and screening programs for early detection of diseases and treatment at the right time to avoid complications. She also said that the Department of Health emphasizes on the quality of medical services and how accessible it is, as well as public health through initiating awareness campaigns to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and chronic diseases, pointing out that heart diseases are the reason behind the largest percentage of deaths in Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Abdul Razzak Alkaddour, Cardiology and Internal Medicine Consultant at Danat Al Emarat Hospital in Abu Dhabi presented a talk about healthy heart in primary care. During the lecture, he talked about what should a general practitioner know about risk factors connected to heart diseases, like heart attacks and myocardial infarction. These factors include diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, obesity and stress. Early detection of these diseases and treating them at the right time prevents complications and heart diseases, especially heart attacks, pointing out that studies shows that35% of the population suffer from high blood pressure (the silent killer).

“Latest scientific researches show that patients with diabetes and high blood pressure who are also smokers are 50% prone to suffer from heart attacks in comparison to healthy people. Also, more than 40% of diabetics are not diagnosed and they don’t even know that they have the disease. Diagnosing these cases at primary care centers can limit complications of diabetes drastically, as patients would receive treatment in early stages,”” Dr. Abdul Razzak added.

Moreover, the conference hosted Dr. Federica Vagnarelli, Pediatrics and Neonatology Specialist at Danat Al Emarat Hospital who talked about diagnosing and treating chronic cough in children, and Ms. Virginie Mebarek, Clinical Psychologist at HealthPlus Diabetes and Endocrinology Center who presented a paper about mental eating disorders. Moreover, Dr. Igor Kozak, Ophthalmology Consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi spoke about diagnosing and treating red eye. Dr. Neha Gami, Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialist at HealthPlus Family Health Center presented spoke about preventive screening for women, while Dr. Cathy Jones, Obstetrics & Gynecology Consultant at Danat Al Emarat Hospital talked about assessing and managing urinary incontinence in primary care. Finally, Ms. Ola Mezher, Dietitian at HealthPlus Centers talked about the role of lifestyle interventions in obesity care and management.

The conference was accredited by Department of Health for 7 CME hours and was organized by Medetarian Conferences Organizing (MCO).

8 June 2019, Abu Dhabi – UAE: Abu Dhabi will host the 2^nd Primary Care Conference organized by United Eastern Medical Services (UEMedical) Group including Danat Al Emarat Hospital, HealthPlus Network of Specialty Centers and Moorfields Eye Hospital on 19 June 2019 at St. Regis Abu Dhabi Hotel, Corniche. The conference is in collaboration with Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DOH) and hosts expert speakers in primary care and family medicine from DOH, UEMedical and Malaffi.

H.E Mohamed Hamad Al Hameli, Undersecretary of Department of Health - Abu Dhabi emphasized on the importance of this conference which is considered an important platform to raise awareness on Abu Dhabi’s health sector specifically the primary care model and regulations.

Mr. Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, CEO and Managing Director of UEMedical in Abu Dhabi said, “Improvements in performance levels in primary care centers are contributing in relieving the pressure on specialized centers and hospitals as now larger numbers of patients are receiving treatment at primary care centers, where more focus is placed on Family Medicine. There is a shift in the behavior as previously patients used to visit directly tertiary hospitals and emergency departments for simple symptoms and diseases. We are also proud to witness the growing number of Emirati family medicine physicians. And as a result, our group has placed special focus on primary care in all our different facilities, and have recently launched an additional family and primary care center in Khalifa City, an addition to our HealthPlus Network of Centers all around Abu Dhabi and the region.”

The Primary Care Conference is bringing key leaders in primary care to discuss collaboratively the latest in the field and provide the participants with glimpses into Abu Dhabi’s journey towards primary care strategy which will be delivered by Mr. Neil Clark, Acting Director of Investment and Capacity Management Division. Moreover, the conference hosts Dr. Shereena Al Mazrouei, Department Manager of Non-Communicable Diseases at DOH who will speak about primary care from a public health prospective as well as Dr. Yousif Al Zaabi, Senior Officer Public Health who will be presenting about telemedicine.

From Abu Dhabi Health Information Exchange “Malaffi”, Mr. Erick Koornneef, Vice President Policy and Compliance will share with the participants the benefits of the new Malaffi system which was launched earlier this year.

Accredited for 7 CME Hours, the one-day conference is chaired by Dr. Samina Ahmad, Family Medicine Consultant at HealthPlus Family Centers and Head of Primary Care in UEMedical who will present an overview on the primary care developing model in Abu Dhabi from a provider perspective. In his session, Dr. Abdul Razzak Alkaddour, Cardiology Consultant at Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women & Children in Abu Dhabi will be talking about heart health in primary care, while Dr. Federica Vagnarelli, Pediatrics & Neonatology Specialist at Danat Al Emarat Hospital will be talking about diagnosing and treating chronic cough in children, and Ms. Virginie Mebarek, Clinical Psychologist at HealthPlus Diabetes & Endocrinology Center will be discussing eating disorders. Moreover, Dr. Igor Kozak, Ophthalmology Consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi will be discussing red eye symptoms and treatment, and Dr. Neha Gami, Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialist at HealthPlus Family Center will deliver a presentation about preventive screenings and tests for women. In addition, Dr. Cathy Jones, Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialist at Danat Al Emarat Hospital will be talking about assessing and managing urinary incontinence in primary care. Lastly, Ms. Ola Mezher, Dietitian from HealthPlus Network of Specialty Centers will be talking about the role of lifestyle interventions in obesity care and management, a topic that is vital to primary care providers.