On the occasion of International Universal Health Coverage Day 2020, Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Hamed, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi affirmed that the Emirate has been working continuously to develop a strong and advanced healthcare ecosystem.

In a statement, Al Hamed stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the world and its repercussions have given rise to the need for maintaining a robust healthcare system. He added that a lesson has been learnt that health is truly our greatest asset. In this regard, he renewed a commitment to protect the health, safety and well-being of all members of the UAE community, in addition to assuring the delivery of state-of-the-art healthcare services in the emirate for a stronger and healthier Abu Dhabi.

Al Hamed noted that Abu Dhabi has been working to lay the ground for an advanced and robust healthcare ecosystem in the emirate with the aim of providing access to right healthcare services to all community members at the right time. The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi is aiming to do so by securing health insurance coverage to all Abu Dhabi residents.

"This translates the vision of the UAE’s wise leadership into reality by putting the health and safety of all Emirati and UAE-based residents at the forefront of priorities," he added.

Al Hamed explained that Abu Dhabi has intensified its efforts to safeguard the health and well-being of all community members during these unprecedented times. At the same time, Abu Dhabi authorities have maximised their efforts to either avoid the COVID-19 transmission or recovering from it.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Abu Dhabi authorities have left no stones unturned to provide treatment to all local patients and UAE based-residents, regardless of their health insurance coverage. The Department of Health has been dedicated to protecting the health and well-being of every individual and ensuring the continuity of efforts to combat the infected cases and reduce its transmission.

"The UAE has succeeded in recording low COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates while containing the virus, placing it among the world’s first countries to efficiently respond to the pandemic," Al Hamed added.

In conclusion, he said that providing health insurance coverage is a key pillar to ensure that the UAE community has robust health. In this regard, he stressed the authorities' keenness to provide easy access to world-class healthcare services to all individuals in the emirate, whenever they need it.

WAM