UAE, 17 May, 2018- The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) organized the first Emirati Nursing Conference at the MOHAP Training and Development Center in Sharjah, themed ‘Future Outlook for Nursing in the Age of Technological Development.’ The meeting was attended by H.E. Dr. Yousif Mohammed Al Serkal, Assistant Undersecretary for the Hospitals Sector; Dr. Sumaya Mohammed Abbas, Director of the Nursing Department; Ms. Mubaraka Mubarak Ali Ibrahim, Director for Health Information Systems; Saqr Al Hemeiri, Director of MOHAP's Training and Development Center; and prominent speakers from the UAE, Canada, South Africa and Lebanon.

Dr. Yousif Al Serkal emphasized the importance of incorporating the latest technologies in various aspects of healthcare, especially in the nursing sector. The integration of technology in healthcare services helps nursing staff keep up with the latest developments in nursing technology and modern practices. In addition, this prepares nursing personnel to deal with emerging technologies such as robots entering the field of healthcare services and determines their success in providing the results in record time with minimal errors. He also highlighted the significance of Artificial Intelligence and advanced technology and their importance in improving medical and operational efficiency.

Dr. Al-Serkal pointed out that the Ministry considers automation of nursing sector as one of the vital fields in the nursing care at the global level and aims to train and guide nursing staff in the country to use medical information technology to improve the level of healthcare provided to patients. This is in line with the Ministry’s strategy to provide comprehensive, innovative and sustainable health services following global standards and meet the happiness of the community.

He said: “We have one of the most important initiatives in this field regionally - the ‘National Initiative to Enhance the Attractiveness of Nursing,’ - which aims to attract local human resources to contribute to the community's health needs, thereby providing healthcare that complements the environment and culture of the country and enhancing the efforts to implement Emiratization in this profession.

Dr. Sumaya Mohammed Abbas noted that the conference discussed many important topics such as the challenges faced by nursing professionals, education and research in the field and the impact of new technologies in the health sector. This will contribute to improving the quality and effectiveness of healthcare services and ensure satisfaction of patients and staff. She added: “We look forward to inviting nursing staff and leaders in the UAE to discuss and find solutions to the main issues related to the impact of technological development on nursing and healthcare in general. We have plans and programs to further develop the National Initiative to enhance the attractiveness of the nursing profession and to understand the role of technology in changing the concepts of nursing care and the best ways to implement them.”

Saqr Al Hemeiri, Director of MOHAP's Training and Development Center, said: “As a Training and Development Center, we are very proud to participate in the first Emirati Nursing Conference in cooperation with the Nursing department at MOHAP, which reflects the Ministry’s commitment and keenness to develop the capabilities of nursing staff.”

The list of speakers included Dr. Manal Kleib, Assistance Professor at the University of Alberta in Canada; Dr. Rana Abdul Malik, Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing Center at Clemenceau Medical Center in Lebanon; Dr. Adigomo Inka from the Faculty of Nursing at New York University; and Dr. Ian Holt, member at Fatima College of Health Sciences in Abu Dhabi.