Mubadala Healthcare Launches Holistic Occupational Health Solution in Support of Uae’s Back-To-Work Effort

As public health restrictions ease, Mubadala Healthcare is introducing an innovative offering of occupational health and testing services designed to enable organizations to return their employees back to work in the safest way possible.

Mubadala Healthcare’s National Reference Laboratory (NRL), Capital Health Screening Centre (CHSC), Healthpoint and Amana Healthcare, together created the program leveraging their expertise in pathology, occupational health, and corporate sample-collection, respectively.

Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, Senior Vice President at Mubadala Healthcare, says: “National Reference Laboratory, Capital Health Screening Centre, Healthpoint and Amana Healthcare were proactive from the start of the pandemic, putting systems in place to ensure they would be able to support the nation and economy in its immediate needs, but also to plan for continued support and long-term solutions, which we are now activating.”

Al Nowais adds: “This collaboration between these facilities demonstrates the value of being part of an integrated healthcare network, namely, creating the most comprehensive solutions possible through leveraging individual specializations and strengths. The occupational health package can be tailored to meet organizations’ needs, and offers an end-to-end solution with the testing, analysis, clinical support and training needed for an effective and efficient return to work, as well as continuous monitoring of the workforce to minimize risk of exposure.”

The occupational health package was designed to support all private and government employers in their return-to-work program, by providing best-in-class and evidence-based occupational health and testing solutions to ensure a safe workplace. Various modules of the package have already been rolled out by a number of employers, including Mubadala’s global and local entities and units.

According to Dr. Mariam Al Maazmi, Senior Supervisor of Occupational Health at Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), one of the first companies to use the Mubadala Healthcare’s occupational health services, the process was key to the nature of its operations.

Dr. Al Maazmi said: “Mubadala Healthcare, through its National Reference Laboratory and Amana Healthcare, is one of the organizations that has supported EGA since April as part of our extensive COVID-19 testing program for employees and contractors working on our sites in the UAE. As a vital industrial company that has continued operations throughout the pandemic, fast and accurate testing of our thousands of people has been the cornerstone of our COVID-19 response. It has enabled us to take action to prevent further spread when we have had cases, and has guided our broader prevention strategy. In more recent months, testing has also been key in bringing many of those who have been working at home back to EGA offices.”  

The package is comprehensive and modular; it can be customized to meet the needs of all entities striving for a safe, successful and sustainable return to the workplace.

For each employer, the Mubadala Healthcare team sets up easy-to-use online questionnaires for ongoing health monitoring and screening before entry to the workplace. Employees reporting symptoms or exposure are contacted by the Occupational Health team for a clinical consultation over the phone to assess their needs.

Employees are advised on appropriate quarantine or isolation timeline, undergo all required testing, and receive regular follow-up teleconsultations with the clinical team until they are cleared for a safe return to the workplace.

Additionally, the Occupational Health team can make an initial assessment of all employees for vulnerability, provide specialist consultations and advise organizations on improvements to their workplace with employee health needs in mind. The team also implements automated dashboards to allow organizations to efficiently track and monitor the status of the workforce.

As part of the Occupational Health package, CHSC is creating a specialized program for mitigating the risks that employees may face, supported by its extensive experience in occupational health screening and training. The program tackles return-to-work concerns such as initial assessment and ongoing monitoring of workforce, travel-related assessments, pre-clearance of visitors and COVID-19 training for employees.

The training is provided live by a specialized occupational medicine physician and expert clinical staff, and can be tailored to select employees, such as health and wellness ambassadors, security and reception staff, or to the entire workforce, depending on the needs of each organization.

In parallel, NRL’s world-class and purpose-built COVID-19 laboratories have the advanced equipment and a highly skilled scientific team that allow it to process results accurately within a quick turnaround time. NRL’s team of experts are able to advise employers on what testing strategies would suit their needs and budget best. Testing and sample collection are managed by both the Healthpoint team, through their drive-through facility, and Amana Healthcare through their homecare services.

These Occupational Health services have demonstrated their effectiveness in fostering a proactive, health-conscious culture among employers and their workforce. With these packages, UAE organizations will be empowered to maintain the highest levels of safety, health and productivity for their people and their workplaces.

Using technology to streamline the flow of information and provide a holistic and real-time view of workforce status and anticipated date of return to work, Mubadala’s occupational health package promises a seamless, stress-free and safe return-to-work.