Dubai Health Authority to have unified immunization records for the Emirate
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) will create a unique immunization record for each individual in Dubai to improve preventative care, said a top health official on the sidelines of the ongoing Dubai Health Forum. Amani Al Jassmi, Director of Information Technology at the DHA, said: “The initiative is known as HASANA and it will provide access to unified immunization records at any facility and will ensure availability of relevant data. It also enable the DHA to lay the foundation for the Population Health Management System which will be robust enough to manage and contain the spread of communicable diseases.”
Al Jassmi said that the immunization management system will have a host of features such as immunization schedules and eligibility, immunization planning and management, adverse effects and mass immunization campaigns.
It will help in outbreak management: prevention, monitoring, management and analysis of outbreak cases. It will also help in investigation management: identification, investigation, and management of cases and contacts. It will help in tracking clinical data related to investigations, signs and symptoms, complications, outcomes, interventions, and treatment plans.
Al Jassmi said that the system will seamlessly integrate government and private health facilities and partners and enable all of them to access the same immunization data. It will help equip decision makers in Dubai with the necessary tools to prevent, detect, and manage the outbreak of communicable diseases in an efficient manner. It will also provide a smart application to manage and administer school mass immunization campaigns.
She said in addition to the immunization record, DHA has lined up few pertinent initiatives to enhance the healthcare experience. “We will roll out the new systems during the course of this year 2018. As a contributor to Smart cities initiative, DHA is working closely with Smart Dubai office to achieve Dubai’s Unified strategy which will enable Dubai to become the innovation benchmark for smart cities seeking global sustainability and competitiveness.”
Some of those projects are:
Sheryan System (Health Facilities & Medical Professionals Licensing):
Dubai Health Authority has launched a new innovative transformation initiative to redesign Sheryan (i.e. the Health Regulation Department’s Licensing and Inspection System for Health Facilities & Medical Professionals)
Al Jassmi said: “The new Sheryan program is another initiative that will further advance Dubai Health Authority’s digital reinvention journey to provide citizen-centric experiences in the healthcare sector that are infused with innovation and powered by emerging technologies. To enable healthcare professionals and facilities operating in Dubai to better meet the health and wellness needs of a growing population with higher patient outcomes and delivery of care.”
“We are building a UAE level Healthcare Professional Registry (enabled on Blockchain), which will help UAE create a distributed network of healthcare professional shared by UAE health authorities as a single source to seamlessly issue part-time and temporary medical licenses to professionals and enable them to care for the need of Expo2020’s exhibitors and visitors.”
Benefits offered by Sheryan:
- The project aims to raise the level of service provided to the healthcare facilities and health professionals involved in the emirate of Dubai for the completion of licensing transactions effectively.
- Increase happiness indicator which supports Dubai Health Authority and Dubai Government vision and objectives
Health Information Exchange Portal
After the success of Salama and achieving the rating of EMRAM 6 score across DHA Facilities, DHA is working towards obtaining EMRAM 7 score. Healthcare entities were awarded based their EMRAM score. EMRAM is accepted today worldwide as an international benchmark to stage hospital’s electronic efforts. The model uses a 0-7 stage scale to rate hospitals based on the extent to which they have adopted a paperless, digital system. Stage 7 means the hospital is a digital hospital.
Al Jassmi, said: “As part of its healthcare transformation journey, DHA is planning on extending its platform to allow private facilities to share patient’s health related information as per each patients consent in a more secured and efficient manner. This will help Dubai to achieve a unified health record for the emirate of Dubai. This will further enhance the efficiency and wellness needs of the growing population of Dubai along with higher patient outcomes and delivery of care.”
Overseas Treatment System:
Al Jassmi said: “We are also working to revamp the existing Overseas Treatment System which supports every UAE citizen in providing necessary treatment locally and specialized treatment plans abroad.”
She said the new revamped system will help DHA with the following:
- Standardize the system across various overseas medical offices and embassies
- Decrease the time for handling a request
- Provide integrated solution for medical data and financial data for better transparency
