Dubai to launch centralized medical records for students - News

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All students in Dubai will soon have a medical file that is accessible to schools, medical facilities and parents. This is to ensure that all stakeholders involved in a student’s health are aware of their medical history.

“We are currently implementing a total change in the system so that everyone is connected,” Dr Ramadan Alblooshi, advisor to the director general of Dubai Health Authority (DHA), told Khaleej Times. “We will launch a central medical record of students that will be shared with their parents and schools, so that if the student moves from one school to another, the new school will know if he has a certain disease or certain medications.”

He said the idea was to ensure the school health community was aligned. “The community basically consists of a teacher, principal, father and mother or guardians, and the student himself,” he said. “So we have to make this connection together on one platform.”

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Dr. Ramadan, who is also director of the Department of Public Health Protection, was speaking on the sidelines of the Healthcare Future Summit, which started in Dubai on Tuesday.

He added that the DHA would also focus on mental health in schools. “We have announced the mental health strategy for Dubai, and one of the categories we will focus on is the students,” he said. “We’re going to talk about a lot of things, like bullying, developmental issues, the needs of determined people, and so on.

Recently, several schools in Dubai were issued a medical consent form by the DHA Public Health Protection Department to ensure the maintenance and monitoring of the health and welfare of their department. The form requested consent for various preventive services, including visual acuity screening, hearing test, dental check-up, scoliosis screening and a comprehensive medical examination. A DHA vaccination guide for parents also highlighted the importance of ensuring children’s vaccinations are up to date.

The authority has also been working to raise awareness about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, Dr Ramadan said. The HPV vaccine, recommended for administration at age 11 or 12, protects against genital warts and most cases of cervical cancer.

“The challenge was not the vaccine itself, but the awareness and acceptance by families,” he said. “So in the coming years we will organize many awareness programs for parents, teachers and even doctors.”

He said they want to learn from parents what factors influence their acceptance of the vaccine. “Are their concerns related to price, safety or other factors? Another challenge is that after the Covid-19 crisis, many families have changed their views on vaccines in general. So we must also tackle this challenge.”

More than 3,500 participants and 100 brands from more than 20 countries will come together during the Healthcare Future Summit, held under the theme ‘Vaccination, Research and Development, Policy, and Delivery: Towards a Healthier Future’. It will focus on breakthrough innovations in vaccination and healthcare, including advances in disease management and the application of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to improve vaccine distribution and develop new strategies for future pandemics.

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According to Professor Peter J. Pitts, associate commissioner at the FDA and a speaker at the event, the conference also reinforces the value of vaccines. “The UAE is leading the world in valuable and cost-effective vaccines that combat shingles, RSV, HPV, the annual flu and a host of other conditions that, if left untreated, will cost lives and deplete public health systems,” he says. said.

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Nasreen Abdulla

Nasreen Abdulla is a special correspondent covering food, technology and human interest stories. When she’s not challenged by deadlines, you’ll find her making submissions on the jiu-jitsu mats.