Dr. Hanif Hassan Ali, UAE Minister of Health, emphasized that the ministry’s new strategy includes initiatives to provide psychiatric healthcare services in the UAE as part of the World Health Organization’s directives to include psychiatric health in primary healthcare clinics.
This was announced during his opening address to the first UAE psychiatric conference today in Al Bustan Rotana in Dubai under the title: “Psychiatric Health: Our 2020 vision”.
The minister said: “The UAE gives great concern to the primary healthcare sector and reassures the directives of His Highness Sheikh Khelifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and His Highness Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as well as Their Highnesses Rulers of the other emirates, to provide health services for all UAE nationals and residents in close and remote areas.
He emphasized the importance of applying modern international standards in the fields of medical services and implementing the recommendations and decisions of the World Health Organization pointing out that psychiatric health services has been included within the primary healthcare sector assures the ministry’s commitment to provide qualified medical and technical staff as well as modern equipments to save time, provide the correct diagnosis and treatment.
The conference was attended by more than 200 doctors, psychiatrists and nursing staff in the UAE. It also hosts a number of international experts and advisors who are specialized in psychiatric health and primary healthcare sector. The conference will continue till Sunday 19th December.
Dr. Mahmoud Fikri, Assistant Undersecretary for Health Policies, stated that the conferences comes as part of the ministry’s strategy to maintain a healthy environment for healthy individuals and its efforts to enhance psychiatric health as part of the main important aspects for health understandings pointing out that the ministry suggested an ambitious initiative to merge psychiatric health within the services of the primary healthcare centers. This comes as an implementation of the World Health Organization’s efforts to develop primary health care services.
It is worth mentioning to know that psychiatric and behavioral diseases and problems are common worldwide and increasing worldwide. The World Health Organization expects that depression will occupy the second rank by 2020 in terms of economic and social burdens.
The World Health Organization sees that these diseases do not get the correct treatment or diagnosis in the primary healthcare standards; about 80% depression patients can be treated through the efficiency of doctors in the primary healthcare department. Internationally, less than 25% of depression patients get this treatment while 10% do not get it.
Studies reveal that the number of specialized doctors in psychiatric health reach one doctor to every million person therefore medical diagnosis needs the enhancement of psychiatric healthcare.
Dr. Fikri explained that this is the first conference to be held in the UAE to enhance the role of primary healthcare in facing diseases and providing all the requirements of the primary healthcare services and their efficiency. The conference’s higher committee and sub committees launched a website for the conference with all the programs and details of the conference.
The conference also highlights the efforts of the Ministry of Health in applying a strategy and enhancing the initiatives of psychiatric health services through the primary healthcare services. Such services would help patients to avoid the embarrassment they face when approaching psychiatric clinics and this leads to the increase of their diseases and problems.
In addition, psychiatric problems and diseases increase worldwide and form a burden on individuals and community health. Unfortunately, psychiatric patients avoid getting treatment from doctors because it is still considered a social shame.
Dr Fikri explained that the psychiatric health is an integral part of general health referring to the recommendations of the World Health Organization that calls for supporting and encouraging psychiatric health services through the primary healthcare departments.
The Ministry of Health included the psychiatric health services through the primary healthcare departments as part of its strategic initiatives and organized several training programs for specialized doctors and technicians. The service is provided in 14 health centers in Dubai and the northern emirates.
WAM