The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Health recently convened a meeting in Dubai with officials from private health care facilities throughout the country to discuss a number of new and lesser known policies affecting the UAE's health care sector.
The conference was facilitated by Assistant Undersecretary for Public Policy and Licensing Sector Amin Hussein Al Amiri, who led discussions on timelines for meeting international accreditation standards, the Strategic Medical Stock Agreement (SMSA), fertility law and regulations for private health care operations.
In an effort to set a national standard for the quality of care, Al Amiri said public hospitals and surgery clinics will have until the end of 2017 to become fully compliant with international standards, while other health care institutions will have until the end of 2019. The standards are based on the Australian Council for Healthcare Standards International, the Joint Commission International and the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation.
Institutions were also briefed on the nuances of fertility law as well as institutional obligations under the SMSA, which requires specialized departments to have well-stocked supplies and equipment and to maintain specific protocol for proper storage of supplies, including medicine.
Ministry of Health officials said they hoped the gathering would help improve the level of patient care and the international profile of the country's health care industry.
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