Dr. Hanif Hassan, UAE Minister of Health assured the ministry’s efforts in raising health services and efficient medical care to all locals and expats in the UAE.
He said: “The directives of His Highness Sheikh Khelifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, UAE Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, is to achieve quality and excellence in the healthcare sector for all nationals and expats of the country”. This was stated by the UAE Minister of Health after the signing ceremony which took place on “Wednesday 17th February 2010” between the Ministry of Health and Johnson & Johnson Corporate Citizenship Trust.
He announced the establishment of a pilot Primary Health Care Leadership program in the Middle East region, entitled-‘Innovators for Community Wellness (ICW)’ in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Corporate Citizenship Trust and INSEAD.
Dr. Hanif Hassan added that the program will add value to the work being done by the Ministry in meeting the needs of the current development phases in all sectors in terms of re-evaluating health facilities of hospitals and health care centers as part of achieving international accreditation for hospitals and health centers affiliated to the ministry as well as the leadership development and health strategies.
He also pointed out that the ministry is preparing to develop work systems in different sectors beginning with upgrading electronic systems, communication software programs, and information technology system programs through a number of agreements with relevant bodies.
The Minister of Health elaborated that the upcoming period will witness human resources development to keep pace with modern developments and practices in health and medical practices, noting that the health information system project “Wareed” requires medical, technical and management staff that will be able to deal with recent updates and data.
“Preparing department directors and heads with leadership skills requires to meet the diverse challenges that face the health sector and this is a vital strategic goal that we seek to achieve in the Ministry of Health. The program will focus on management excellence in primary care and public health systems for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases”, he added.
Based on this collaboration among the Ministry of Health, Johnson & Johnson Corporate Citizenship Trust and INSEAD, participants from public & private institutions in primary care, hospitals, tertiary care, insurance & policy that deal with chronic conditions will be provided with the necessary skills and tools to improve the wellness of the communities they are serving. The program will be implemented by INSEAD, one of the world’s leading business schools. The participants will be nominated by their respective institutions and selected by the INSEAD academic committee.
Frank Welvaert, Managing Director, Johnson & Johnson Corporate Citizenship Trust, Europe, Middle East and North Africa (EMENA) added: “We have been working with INSEAD for many years and are leveraging the positive experience received from our leadership programs. This training is designed to meet the specific health needs of this region, by focusing on chronic diseases. And we hope, together with our partners, to achieve the Trust’s mission which is to make sustainable, long term differences in the health of the communities we serve”.
Stephen Chick, INSEAD Program Director and the Novartis Chaired Professor of Healthcare Management, added:”Our aim is to bring best-in-class research and learning to the Middle East as well as sharing best management models from both the region and the rest of the world. We also focus on providing established international best-practice in three core areas of healthcare management; leadership, management excellence and innovation.”
The signing of the joint statement by the UAE Ministry of Health and the Johnson & Johnson Corporate Citizenship Trust was followed by the graduation dinner organized by INSEAD for the participants of the Middle East Health Leadership Program (MEHLP). In its third year, INSEAD and Johnson & Johnson Corporate Citizenship Trust honored 39 qualified graduates – all senior healthcare leaders from across the Arab region, including the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, bringing the total number of its participants since its launch in 2008 to over 80. The MEHLP program is planned to continue in 2011.
