Category: Medical

ABU DHABI, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and Cisco, during GITEX Global 2022, have announced the successful completion of their pilot project to provide teleconsultation solutions and digitised healthcare services.

The pilot aims to improve access to healthcare for patients and enable quicker and easier consultation for clinicians.

As part of Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) programme, the pilot was designed and implemented with the objective to create a virtual network of SEHA specialists irrespective of which SEHA Healthcare Facility (HCF) location they are based in. Patients and clinicians in remote areas can access virtual consultation sessions to enable quicker and easier consultation and diagnosis without the need to physically visit the specialist.

This pilot enables SEHA’s vision to improve the experience for patients and clinicians alike by decreasing waiting times and minimising travel – especially for patients in rural areas.

The project utilises advanced networking, security and collaboration technologies, and capabilities like autonomous robotics, digital medical carts, and wearables, to scale medical coverage and reduce physical contact.

At the heart of the solution, is the highly secure Cisco network that SEHA deployed and that is connecting all SEHA sites. Powered by Cisco’s collaboration technologies, patients and SEHA clinicians use the collaboration solution, Cisco Webex, to virtually connect and communicate. Specialists are enabled to review live patient vitals with the help of biomedical devices and peripherals, similar to on-site consultation, and deliver instant medical expertise and quality patient care irrespective of geographic distance.

The pilot also helps enable SEHA to test several medical use cases, including remote ward rounds, remote patient discharge, tele-stroke diagnostics, providing remote specialist for emergency departments.

Saeed Jaber Al Kuwaiti, Group Chief Executive Officer, SEHA, said, “Embracing innovation and adoption of new technologies have been the cornerstone of SEHA’s commitment to elevating delivery of superior healthcare, with patients at the heart of everything we do. At SEHA, strategic partnerships and decisions are being made in line with the most recent technological advances, especially to improve patient access. Our collaboration with Cisco helps us to deliver enhanced results through scaled specialist resources, safer and more convenient modes of communication, and faster, multi-disciplinary treatment for our patients.”

“This collaboration is a significant addition to our previous and continued efforts to enhance access to healthcare, such as setting up teleconsultation services for mental health that resulted in over 200 patients in the Al Dhafra Region alone receiving virtual therapy. SEHA will continue to be a strong advocate for enhancing patient access and improving health equity across the UAE,” he added.

Abdelilah Nejjari, Managing Director of Cisco for the Gulf region, commented, “Digitisation is shaping the future of healthcare, and according to a study from the Boston Consulting Group, 41 percent of residents in the UAE turned to telemedicine solutions in 2021. As the UAE continues to pioneer healthcare excellence, underpinned by investments in technology, this is an exciting project that demonstrates Cisco’s commitment to the country’s digital transformation and innovation agenda.”

Source: Emirates News Agency

Abu Dhabi: On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, the Department of Community Development (DCD) of Abu Dhabi, released the “Parents’ Guide on Mental Health” to create all-round awareness on concepts of mental health, which will help mould a healthy family environment.

 

This launch is a part of DCD’s constant efforts to providing services and initiatives that form a pillar for various segments of the society, in collaboration with social and health entities of Abu Dhabi.

The Guide, which was prepared by the DCD, Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority and Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, provides parents with insights into dealing with day-to-day stress and leading a healthy and stable life. It also sheds light on the importance of mental health, and its impact on an individual or a family’s behaviour and feelings, further highlighting how it affects daily life and the ability to handle mental pressure. The guide highlights the factors that affect mental health, including relationships, lifestyles, and personal and external factors.

Dr. Layla Al Hayas, Executive Director of the DCD’s Community Development Sector, confirmed that “DCD’s commitment to launching initiatives that support mental health, such as the Parents’ Guide on Mental Health”. She reiterated that the Department is constantly “devising and implementing initiatives to offer services that meet the demands of community members and offer them optimum tools to cope with mental stress”.

 

“This guide informs parents on various methods to enhance mental health, including improving aspects of day-to-day lives by building and maintaining healthy relationships. It further addresses the need to enjoy and explore life, be productive and efficient at work, enhance ability to contribute socially, cope with mental pressure, changes and uncertainty, and prevent mental and physical illness. The guide highlights various mental, physical and social needs, which are significant to improving mental health. It also focuses on identifying a network of support, being aware and utilising coping strategies to mitigate circumstances that might cause mental pressure. Additionally, the guide teaches how to communicate clearly about one’s fears with partners, friends and mental health professionals and further accept the fact that an individual will make mistakes and go through difficult situations in life,” she explained.

Through this guide, the Department of Community Development showcases the role of relationships in mental health and explores avenues in enhancing one’s relationship with their life partner by strengthening communication. It also reflects on the relationship with children and its impact on the mental health of parents, as well as relationship with co-workers and the significance of maintaining a healthy work relationship through respect, effective communication, confidentiality, trust, self-awareness, and boundaries.

 

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the Emirate, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi (SUAD), with the aim of enhancing cooperation between the two parties on scientific research, AI-based concepts development, education and community engagement in healthcare.

The Mou was signed by Dr. Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, Under-Secretary of DoH, and Professor Silvia Serrano, Vice-Chancellor, SUAD.

As part of the MoU, DoH will work with SUAD through the Sorbonne Centre for Artificial intelligence (SCAI), in its locations both in Paris and Abu Dhabi, to develop pioneering research programmes in AI, and upskill healthcare workers by strengthening and increasing their knowledge and expertise in Artificial intelligence and the research field.

The partnership falls in line with the Department’s efforts to strengthen collaborations with academia, technology companies and research centres to boost the quality standards of the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi, consolidating the emirate’s position as an incubator for innovation in life sciences.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), a joint-venture partnership between Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and Mayo Clinic, has performed its first robot-assisted gynecological surgery, making it one of the few hospitals in Abu Dhabi currently offering this type of procedure.

The first patient, a 48-year-old from Sharjah, was referred to SSMC after initially suffering from abdominal pain due to a large pelvic mass on the left ovary.

She was assessed by Dr. Salem Al Harthi, consultant general surgeon at SSMC. Dr. Al Harthi later consulted with Dr. Saladin Sawan, consultant surgeon in gynecology, oncology and robotics at SSMC, concluding that a minimally invasive approach would serve best to improve outcomes.

“Given that the patient previously had multiple surgeries, we decided to utilise the robotic surgical procedure to remove the adhesions and regain organ functionality, as well as help minimise the side effects and recovery time,” said Dr. Al Harthi.

“Robotic surgeries are very beneficial for us surgeons as they provide magnified, 3D high-definition vision, a higher degree of comfort when using medical instruments, and offer easier access to areas that would have been difficult to reach using conventional methods,” he added.

The first robotic surgery at SSMC took place in September 2020, marking the launch of the hospital’s comprehensive robotic surgery programme to help enable and enhance minimally invasive operations and improve clinical outcomes. As a destination medical centre specialising in complex and serious care, SSMC’s partnership with Mayo Clinic provides patients with an amplified level of care, as they benefit from easy access to cutting-edge technologies and the latest research findings.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, Mubadala Health and G42, the leading UAE-based artificial intelligence and cloud computing technology company, on Thursday, announced they will merge their respective healthcare businesses to create a new, first-of-its-kind integrated healthcare company.

In bringing together G42 Healthcare’s unique medical and data-centric technologies and Mubadala Health’s world-class patient care, the new entity will seek to revolutionise the regional healthcare landscape and deliver a new approach to personalised, patient-centric care.

The two organisations already serve hundreds of thousands of patients each year. The new entity will leverage the strength of this combined network, which includes state-of-the-art healthcare facilities and digital platforms, to elevate patient services across the continuum of care.

Operating at the forefront of medical research and innovation, the new company will become a vertically integrated healthcare powerhouse. It will deliver pioneering clinical solutions to help solve the world’s most critical health and diagnostic challenges. Hasan Jasem Al Nowais has been appointed CEO of the new entity and will continue to lead Mubadala Health.

Peng Xiao, Group CEO of G42, stated, “We aim to build on the respective strengths of G42 Healthcare and Mubadala Health to unlock healthcare super-intelligence and facilitate global healthcare expansion. Our capabilities and experience in leveraging data and artificial intelligence will allow us to continue transforming the traditional healthcare ecosystem to deliver top-notch patient care, fuelled by the latest breakthrough research – all in world-class facilities.”

Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, Chairman of Mubadala Health and Deputy CEO of Mubadala, said, “The future of healthcare lies in the incredible, fast-moving advances being made in technology. For over a decade, Mubadala has invested in the highest standard of patient care for the residents of the UAE across a number of specialities. We now seek to take patient care to the next level, into a new era of precision and personalised medicine.”

Al Nowais said, “The new company represents a truly integrated healthcare ecosystem where research, technology, AI, and genomics are combined with world-class care to optimise clinical outcomes. We are committed to ensuring that our exceptional team of physicians and caregivers can access pioneering medical technologies and deliver unparalleled patient care.”

While continuing to build its network in the UAE, the new company will consider opportunities for international expansion and new partnerships. The new entity will also focus on collaboration with leading researchers and pharmaceutical and health-tech ecosystems, leveraging the UAE’s progressive and future-focused regulatory frameworks to bring world-class care to local communities.

Across the two organisations, healthcare assets today include Imperial College London Diabetes Centre; HealthPoint; National Reference Laboratory; HealthPlus; Danat Al Emarat; Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi; Biogenix; the UAE’s Omics Centre of Excellence; and Insights Research Organisation & Solutions (IROS), the first UAE-based contract research organisation specialising in healthcare research.

Source: Emirates News Agency