Dubai, UAE - 21 November, 2021:  Dubai Health Authority has collaborated with Etisalat and du, an Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC). Following a partnership agreement that was recently signed, both entities are now connected providers of the NABIDH initiative.

 

The initiative, which is part of Dubai's cutting-edge Health Information Exchange and Population Health Program, will enable healthcare professionals to securely access unified medical records from all public and private medical facilities in the emirate. 

 

Etisalat and du will support the NABIDH vision of unifying medical records and supporting DHA in enhancing its overall healthcare system.

 

By digitally connecting the information held by all public and private healthcare facilities, the project aims to provide access to medical records across all healthcare entities in Dubai, keeping patient confidentiality as a priority. NABIDH will ensure continuity of care, convenience and the ability of patients to seek second medical opinions without the need to physically carry their medical files.

 

The first phase of the project was launched by DHA in cooperation with several hospitals and clinics. Approximately 4 million records are already online, meaning that the medical file will be available electronically when a patient visits an onboarded private or public healthcare facility. 

 

The initiative will ensure that every patient in Dubai will have a unified electronic record that can be accessed by healthcare professionals from both public and private healthcare facilities.

 

Awad Al Ketbi, Director-General of the DHA, said: 'The NABIDH project will positively impact healthcare delivery in Dubai and benefit both healthcare professionals and patients for decades to come. As a futuristic digital platform that supports interoperability, it will securely store patients' health records from multiple healthcare facilities and provide healthcare professionals with complete medical histories in real-time. DHA prioritizes the utilization of the latest digital technologies and cutting-edge solutions to drive sector progression. We are delighted that efforts in this direction will be boosted with the support of Etisalat and du and we look forward to making immediate progress as we meet our shared objectives.'

 

Al Ketbi expressed his pride at collaborating with two national organizations committed to driving digital transformation in the community.

 

Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, UAE CEO, Etisalat, said: “Etisalat’s Cloud based Electronic Medical Record (EMR) complements NABIDH’s vision and alleviates barriers for independent medical practices and clinics to adopt an electronic patient record keeping system that exchanges relevant data with NABIDH. This platform eliminates the call for the physical exchange of health records between public and private healthcare providers, diminishing the risk of clinical errors while boosting patient safety and experience and at the same time ensures patient confidentiality. Through NABIDH, the DHA aims to advance medical management within a streamlined and secure exchange of Patient Health Information across the healthcare landscape and we are proud to support them in this initiative.”

 

Fahad Al Hassawi, CEO, du, said: “Making meaningful contributions to community transformation projects has always been something that du has done at every available opportunity. Digital transformation continues to accelerate at an unprecedented rate, and we are proud that we can utilize our resources and expertise to help ensure sectors vital to the country and every citizen can count on digital benefits at every opportunity. At du, we have always enjoyed a great relationship with DHA. We delighted that our partnership has been finalized, so that we can concentrate our efforts on ensuring the success of the NABIDH initiative.”