The Chairman of the Supreme Council of Health, Dr. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, opened the (Bahrain Kingdom and Dubai Health Authority Joint Initiatives) forum today via video communication, with the participation of a delegation of officials from the healthcare sector in Bahrain and the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
The chairman of the Supreme Council of Health emphasized, during his inauguration of the forum, that this forum comes within the framework of ongoing coordination and cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in various fields, in the light of strong and deep fraternal relations between the two countries, which are kindly supported by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the support of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, and Deputy Supreme Commander, First Deputy Prime Minister, and the United Arab Emirates, led by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, and under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the State and Ruler of Dubai, and the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa stated that this forum represents a great opportunity to showcase the latest developments in national initiatives aimed at strengthening the healthcare sector in Bahrain and Dubai. The National Health Insurance Program is a leading initiative aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare services. The Supreme Council of Health is actively and methodically working on this project.
He expressed his happiness at the continued and sustained cooperation between Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in promoting shared healthcare and medical cooperation across various fields, particularly in the management of the health guarantee system, highlighting further opportunities for cooperation in healthcare services, and health system features, as well as promoting areas of cooperation and exchange of experiences between the two brotherly countries, especially in the field of health insurance and self-management of healthcare institutions.
His Excellency stated that the Kingdom of Bahrain is striving to develop a comprehensive health services system in line with the guidance of the wise leadership and the government's work program, and the implementation of our national vision 2030, and the implementation of ambitious national initiatives to continue improving the quality of health services provided to citizens and ensuring its sustainability with high quality and in accordance with the principles of justice, competition, and sustainability.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said that the national health plan in the Kingdom of Bahrain focuses on several areas including creating an efficient and sustainable health system that gives the patient the freedom to choose his health service provider, adopting a comprehensive and sustainable health care approach, improving the quality and safety of health care services and ensuring their continuity, regulating the allocation and financing of health services, attracting qualified medical staff, implementing effective and strong health information and e-health systems, and activating governance by defining the leadership roles of institutions.
The chairman of the Supreme Council of Health emphasized the importance of developing the health system and enhancing its effectiveness and responsiveness to all challenges and changes posed by the global and national COVID-19 pandemic. This should be a priority for countries, governments, and international organizations. He also stated that investing in health is the right choice for the long term.
The Director General of Dubai Health Authority (DHA), His Excellency Mr. Humaid Mohammed Al Qatami, said that this forum is a continuation of the efforts and initiatives between Bahrain and DHA. DHA has a clear vision and strategy to achieve the desired qualitative leap and is always looking to learn from others and share its successful experiences. The future directions of the DHA to improve the quality of health services and their availability were discussed, as well as the comprehensive development of the health system in Dubai, especially the health Insurance system.
The forum included contributions from the General Secretary of the Supreme Health Council, His Excellency Mr. Ibrahim Al-Nawakhada, and a group of officials and speakers. It addressed several topics, including the standardized diagnosis framework presented by Mr. Saleh Al-Hashemi, CEO of Dubai Health Insurance, and the health expenditure accounting system discussed by Mr. Nael Ross, Advisor to the Supreme Council of Health Insurance (Sehati) project. Ms. Aisha Al Mahmoud, Manager of the Financial Claims Project, reviewed the cost and accounting system for health expenses.
The doctor Mohammed Al Shaaban, the director of the Self-Management Project for Primary Health Care, presented the Self-Management Program for Primary Health Care, which is one of the important programs. He pointed to the success of the "Choose Your Doctor" experiment implemented within the project in health centers. The forum ended with a discussion of the future prospects in the healthcare sector in both countries.