1. Accreditation: Making The Leap From Ambition To Reality
October 2014, Dubai, UAE
Ashraf Ismail, MD, MPH, CPHQ
Managing Director, Middle East
Joint Commission International

2. UAE Healthcare Sector
Witnessed rapid development over the past few years
Attracted major international healthcare players in the market
Growth of smaller health care clinics and ambulatory centers

3. UAE Healthcare Sector
The region is building large medical cities and complexes, with billions of dollars of investments lined up, to not only
Raise the supply of medical infrastructure but also
Raise the quality of healthcare services
Governments’ increasing investments in technological advancements and health awareness
Conti..

4. UAE Healthcare Sector Strong medical tourism industry
UAE is the second-largest GCC healthcare services market & is expected to be the fastest growing markets, going forward.

5. Making The Leap From Ambition To Reality
Role Of Government & Regulatory Bodies

6. As laid out in the seven-year UAE National Agenda announced in January
By 2020, only accredited healthcare providers will be allowed to operate in the UAE
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of DubaI urged stakeholders in the public and private healthcare sector to unify their efforts to develop the medical services, construct a quality healthcare system and provide best services

7. MoH facilities across Emirates opt for JCI accreditation
President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is keen on providing state-of-the-art healthcare services that ensure the wellbeing of all UAE residents.

8. Vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Seeking international accreditations for the health sector of Dubai is in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai as envisaged in the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015.

9. Specific Initiatives Of DHA
Promote international accreditation for all public or private healthcare facilities
Strengthen building standards and introduce international best-practice to the design, construction and physical environment of healthcare facilities
DHA Published guidelines for the Planning, Design, Commissioning and Construction of the Health Facilities
DHA in collaboration with the JCI conducted the 1st Regional Conference for Sharing Best Practices in Implementing JCI Standards

10. Health Authority-Abu Dhabi
Vision
In the UAE, JCI Accreditation is a goal set by Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HA-AD) for all hospital providers in the emirate
HAAD Health Regulations have been drafted in collaboration with international healthcare experts including JCI to help drive compliance and improve quality and cost-effectiveness across the system

11. UAE Ministry of Health
One of the Strategic Goal of MOH is to Deliver health services to UAE community as per International standards

12. UAE Vision 2021
The Joint Commission International (JCI) was appointed by DHCC to accredit hospitals operating within DHCC. This selection demonstrates the commitment by DHCC to provide safe and high-quality care.

13. Accreditation : Ambition to Reality
For Improving Quality & Safety, Healthcare Organizations invested in
Infrastructure
Leadership
Human Resources
Building, Equipment & Supplies
Safety & Quality Culture
Operating Systems

14. Accreditation : Ambition to Reality
UAE made a great leap in Improving quality and safety of healthcare services
Moving towards international accreditation for all healthcare facilities
Tremendous growth of international accreditation for governmental and public organizations by JCI.
UAE is No.1 country in the world that has the highest number of accredited organizations

16. Distribution Of JCI Accredited Organizations in UAE

17. Classification of Organizations Accredited by JCI in UAE
Type of Accreditation
No of Organizations Accredited
Hospitals 52
Laboratories 22
Ambulatory Care Centers 11
CCPC 2
Ambulatory Care Network
Primary Healthcare Centers 1
Long Term care
Medical Transport

18. Classification Of Accredited Organizations in UAE
Type of Organization
No. Accredited
DHA Hospitals 3
DHA Ambulatory care centers 2
DHCC CCPC Certified programs 1
SEHA Hospitals 6
SEHA Ambulatory care centers
SEHA Primary care centers
MOH Hospitals
Private Hospitals 40
Private Ambulatory Care Centers 8
MOI Ambulatory Care center
Private Clinical Laboratories 22
Private CCPC Certified Programs
Private Long Term Care Facility
Private Medical Transport Program

19. Classification Of Accredited Organizations in UAE

20. Major Challenges

21. Attraction, Retention And Development Of Qualified Healthcare Professionals
The private and public healthcare providers suffer from a chronic shortage and turnover of qualified medical staff
Part of the challenge deals with compensation and maintenance of competitive pay scales to attract top healthcare professionals.
The attraction/retention of staff is also hampered by a lack of continuing education

22. Cost And Complexity Of Regulation Requirements And Licensing
Healthcare sector suffers from a lack of standardization in regulations across the country
Inconsistencies in facilities and licensing of professionals
Limited staff mobility: doctors licensed in one Emirate are restricted from working in others before issuing a local license, and licensing requirements are different
Non uniform record-keeping of disease
Medical complaints management
Cost of regulatory implementation - implementation of new billing systems in Abu Dhabi based on DRG and E&M is very costly

23. Quality And Standardization Of Services
Managing staff from different cultures, medical approaches and practices and creating patient care standards that all the staff can adopt is one of the major challenges

24. Insurance Providers
Health insurance sector remains faced with a number of pressing challenges including Over-utilization Of Health Services Over-prescription Of Drugs

25. Outbound Medical Tourism
UAE is one of the biggest markets for outbound medical tourism in the Middle East
High treatment cost are the main sources of UAE outbound medical tourism

26. Top 5 opportunities

27. Specialty Care Centers
Opportunities for medical providers in the UAE reside in highly specialized care and centers of excellence
Healthcare providers are increasingly differentiating themselves by providing specializations that cover the entire disease cycle from diagnosis to rehabilitation
Examples :Establishment of the Imperial College Diabetes Center, Dubai Bones and Joint Center and Abu Dhabi Knee and Sports Center.

28. Inbound Medical Tourism
As per Deloitte‘s 2011 Survey of the UAE health care sector, Dubai is considered a major medical destination hub
However Competition within the region is fierce with other competing nations including Lebanon and Jordan.

29. Long-term Care Facilities
There are currently very few long-term care facilities in the UAE
Demand for long term care facilities will grow due to growing aging population and the explosion of chronic diseases
Long term facilities should be set up to serve patients requiring preventive, therapeutic and rehabilitative nursing care services for non-acute, long-term conditions

30. Home Care Services
UAE government highly supports the development of homecare services
The Abu Dhabi government recently launched the “Al Bir Wal Ehsan’ campaign that aims to provide homecare services to elderly and chronic disease patients in the emirate.
Private providers have begun to open home care services across the country

31. Partnerships Between Healthcare Providers
Creating partnerships between healthcare providers will improve quality of healthcare and patients’ access to advanced medical equipment in the country

32. It requires and will continue to require leadership commitment, serious work, continuous improvement

33. Ashraf Ismail, MD, MPH, CPHQ
Managing Director, Middle East Region
Joint Commission International