Arab Health 2016 has barely begun but it is clear that Sheikh Saeed Hall has already witnessed the future of healthcare in the Middle East.
Today saw the formation of a partnership that is expected to have a transformative effect for healthcare in the region.
Called Unison, this partnership will bring together the best of healthcare tech, hospital management, and patient care into one group of eleven radiology departments spread across the UAE. It is a public-private partnership, the first of its kind, between GE Healthcare, the UAE Ministry of Health and Abu Dhabi International Medical Services (ADI).
Through Unison, patients will feel the benefits of synergy: the combination of several elements that are greater than the sum of their parts.
“Respectively, GE Healthcare and Abu Dhabi International Medical Services, have proven capabilities in providing world class services and cutting edge technologies,” said H.E. Awadh Al Ketbi, Assistant Undersecretary, UAE Ministry of Health. “We are confident that the new partnership will both enhance quality of care and significantly improve the operational and resource efficiency of our hospitals.”
Perhaps more importantly, Unison is also a network It will establish a digital radiology center of excellence across the 11 hospitals, using a new image exchange system that allows MoH doctors to view and share diagnostic images with their peers across the Emirates, irrespective of where the imaging exam took place
“GE is delighted to partner with the UAE Ministry of Health in this unique Public Private Partnership,” said Maher Abouzeid, CEO of GE Healthcare for Eastern Growth Markets. “We share the Ministry’s mission of tackling rising rates of lifestyle disease and reducing health expenditure and believe that this radiology outsourcing solution, coupled with the development of unique tele-radiology capabilities in the UAE, will help the Ministry in transforming the health system and improving patient outcomes.”
These new technologies aim to help healthcare providers put patients on the right track to recovery, faster. The teleradiology capabilities mean that doctors will be able to effortlessly seek the second opinion of any other radiologist on the network.
The Unison initiative is the result of many years of dedication and hard work to get the right technology in the right place. “This is a unique model in the public healthcare sector which we believe can serve as a model for the country and indeed, for the region,” added Amer Kakish, CEO of ADI.
Stay tuned to our Arab Health 2016 Hub, where we will be reporting key announcements and broadcasting live feeds from the trade show floor via Periscope.
