ABU DHABI // The UAE is set to become the first country in the region with a unified national database of patients’ medical records after the Cabinet backed its establishment on Sunday.
To be implemented over the coming four years, it aims to unify all medical records across the emirates to ease the movement of patients between healthcare providers as well as connecting public hospitals and clinics.
This is hoped to lead to a streamlining and improvement of the healthcare system, reducing registration times, medication errors and lengths of hospital stays.
“Improving the healthcare services will never stop, as the health of our citizens is our utmost priority,” said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, who led the Cabinet’s meeting at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi.
“We want healthcare services to reach patients no matter where they are in the country, to realise a high-quality standard of living for our people and ensure their health requirements are met.”
Although the UAE has already established national health databases they have been disease-specific up to this point.
Registries for cancer, genetic diseases and organ donors exist in some form but an overarching database had only previously been discussed.
“This is something we need desperately. It would be amazing for the country,” said Mirey Karavetian, an assistant professor of nutrition at Zayed University in Dubai.
Ms Karavetian said a national database was essential in diagnosing what the problems in the health system were and how to address them.
The Cabinet also approved an initiative on mobile healthcare services to provide them in remote areas through home-care treatment and outpatient speciality clinics. These services would target senior citizens and the disabled.
tsubaihi@thenational.ae
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
Price: From Dh529,000
Engine: 5-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 520hp
Torque: 625Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.