The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) on Sunday launched phase one of the Network and Analysis Backbone for Integrated Dubai Health (NABIDH) initiative. A part of Dubai's pioneering Health Information Exchange and Population Health Programme, the initiative is aimed at helping healthcare professionals to securely access consolidated medical records from all public and private medical facilities across the emirate.

With the help of the vision of the NABIDH initiative to amalgamate all medical records, the DHA can effectively enhance its comprehensive healthcare system.

The initiative seeks to make medical records of every individual in Dubai easily accessible for healthcare professionals by collecting data and information secured by all public and private healthcare facilities across the emirate.

DHA launched the first phase of the project in cooperation with a number of Mediclinic hospitals and clinics. Reportedly, there are about 1,123,720 medical records currently available online. This indicates that if a patient is visiting a DHA facility or Mediclinic hospital or healthcare clinic, their records will be available electronically.

In the next phase that will be launched by the first quarter in 2021, the authority will be adding other hospitals and health centres, including Kings College Dubai, Zulekha Hospital and Al Zahra.

NABIDH is a three-year project that will help healthcare professionals to access medical records of every patient from both public or private health facilities in Dubai whose data is available in a unified electronic file.

DHA's NABIDH is a digital platform that allows interoperability, supporting the storage of medical records of patients from multiple healthcare facilities across Dubai. It will help physicians to access the complete medical histories of their patients from the database.

During the launch ceremony, DHA Director-General Humaid Al Qutami extended his gratitude to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, for their continuous support towards the development of the healthcare sector in Dubai.

Furthermore, Al Qutami thanked Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and President of the Dubai Health Authority, for leading and fostering the growth and transformation of the medical sector in the emirate.

Speaking at the launch, Al Qutami asserted that the NABIDH project will positively boost the development of healthcare delivery in Dubai while benefitting both patients and healthcare professionals. He also highlighted the DHA’s keenness to mobilise cutting-edge solutions and the latest digital technologies to strengthen the medical sector in Dubai. Al Qutamiadded that the initiative is significant as it will help every patient in Dubai to keep their medical records in a single file. 

WAM