Dedicated trauma hospital to be military-civilian endeavour
Emirates Military Health Conference taps into global health care expertise
The UAE is to set to get a dedicated tertiary hospital that will offer a full range of services and treatments for trauma patients.
Speaking on the sidelines of the first-ever Emirates Military Health Conference (EMHC), Colonel Saeed Al Hefeiti, EMHC spokesperson, told Gulf News that the facility will be a collaborative effort between the UAE’s health authorities and its military.
“Our aim is to built a stateof-the-art trauma centre in the UAE, to be integrated with the health systems and our allies all over the world. The centre will [serve] the military, our allies, and civilians as well, and these kinds of trauma centres deal with thousands of injuries annually,” Col Al Hefeiti said.
Mattar Salem Al Dhaheri, UAE Under Secretary of Defence, opened the conference in the company of Sheikh Dr Abdullah Meshal Al Sabah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence Kuwait, and Abdullah Bin Mohammad Al Hamed, Chairman of the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi. Present in the audience were official delegates from allied countries, as well as UAE MoD officers, and specialists from the military and civil medical fields.
“The [EMHC] is a unique proposition that is in line with the UAE’s vision of collaboration and cooperation with the international community. It draws expertise from across the globe to discuss and exchange knowledge on some of the most important military health care issues of our time,” said Mohammad Ahmad Al Bowardi, Minister of State for Defence Affairs.
“We live in uncertain times and the requirement to service the health needs of members of the Armed Forces and civilians in affected areas has never been greater. Thankfully, technological innovations are assisting in the effective provision of such services in order to save more lives, and EMHC is the perfect platform to learn about such advancements and more,” Al Bowardi said.
We live in uncertain times and the requirement to service the health needs of members of the Armed Forces and civilians in affected areas has never been greater.”
Level 1 trauma centre
Another major initiative to boost the UAE’s trauma services involves plans to have the trauma centre at the Shaikh Shakhbout Medical City accredited as a Level 1 trauma centre by the American College of Surgeons. It is currently Abu Dhabi emirate’s main trauma centre.
The slogan of the event is ‘Lessons Learned and Vision for the Future’.
The main keynote address was presented by Lieutenant General Raymond Scott Dingle, US Army Surgeon General, and Command Sergeant Major Diamond Hough, who highlighted the role of army medicine, the mission, and how the readiness of the US Forces is built and maintained.
In addition to the educational component of the EMHC, there is also an exhibition area showcasing products and services specifically related to military health care.
Mohammad Ahmad Al Bowardi | Minister of State for Defence Affairs