Mubadala Healthcare providers have joined hands with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) to launch a sustainable remote healthcare program for patients with chronic illnesses who are aged 60 and above. This development has come in light of the success of a remote care program initiated by the joint cooperation of Abu Dhabi Public Health Center and the Department of Health to take care of COVID-19 patients in home isolation.

More than 12,000 elderly patients across Abu Dhabi are suffering from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses. A remote program will benefit this section of the community as it will provide safety amid the ongoing pandemic through dedicated home visits for healthcare and phlebotomy services as well as specialist teleconsultations and delivery of essential medicines.

 The healthcare services will be provided by experts at various medical facilities such as Mubadala Healthcare's Centres of Excellence Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC), Healthpoint, and Amana Healthcare. At the same time, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) will continue to oversee the remote healthcare project and identify the patients who will benefit from the program.

 Speaking over the development, Dr. Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, Acting Undersecretary of the DoH, said the collaboration with Mubadala Healthcare will benefit the people of Abu Dhabi as a whole, noting that the program has been designed to further enhance the management and treatment of chronic illnesses and to minimize the risk of complications.

"The remote care program has the potential to improve population health overall, representing our unwavering determination to transform the way the healthcare services are delivered and take patient experience to the next level," he said.

 Dr Al Kaabi also stated that the program reflects the efforts of the authorities to provide easy access to innovative, integrated, and high-quality healthcare to all members of the community and those who are facing difficulty in visiting the medical facilities due to the nature of their illness.

"This is only possible with the support of our partners and the innovation-driven pathway that Abu Dhabi is taking," he added.

Dr.Omniyat Al Hajri, Director of Community Health Division at Abu Dhabi Public Health Center, highlighted that the Remote Healthcare platform is part of an integrated program that the center offers to senior citizens, residents and people with chronic illnesses, aimed at spreading awareness through high-quality audio and video conferencing sessions.

Al Hajri further stated that discussions are made with the target group with the aim of encouraging them to use the remote healthcare platform and its services, adding that it will also bridge the communication gap with Mubadala and healthcare providers in a bid to optimally utilise various available services such as virtual medical consultations, medication delivery, home visits for those in need.

"The remote healthcare program limits the spread of COVID-19 by providing senior citizens and residents with remote healthcare services without the need to go to health facilities in order to ensure their safety," Al Hajri underlined.

Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, Senior Vice President of Mubadala Healthcare, noted that Mubadala Healthcare's network of facilities regularly collaborates with other institutions to provide the best services to patients in need and to ensure continuity of care.

“We believe that the program will improve patient outcomes for this vulnerable group as the convenience of home visits and teleconsultations facilitate better adherence to treatment guidelines and make it easier to monitor and manage chronic diseases," Al Nowais said.

He further added that the program will help the facility to protect the patients with chronic disease and those who avoid essential treatments due to concerns about the risks of leaving their homes amid the pandemic crisis.

“The remote care program will allow us to combine and leverage the strengths of our specialized facilities to ensure the highest standards of care. Through Amana Healthcare, we have well-established homecare services, while Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Healthpoint and ICLDC have Centers of Excellence in cardiology, musculoskeletal and diabetes," Al Nowaid added.

Mubadala Healthcare has launched the remote care program for chronic diseases as a pilot program to cater to the needs of 4,351 identified patients. As of now, the program has been designed for two months, but it will be extended to a wider scale and number of patients and for a vast variety of purposes in line with further developments in technology and digitalization of healthcare.