- Princess Haya gives keynote speech at Leaders in Healthcare – flagship event of 2010 Arab Health Exhibition and Congress
Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, today urged the medical community to invest in prevention in a keynote speech at Leaders in Healthcare, the flagship gathering at the Arab Health Exhibition and Congress.
“If we want to see sustainable development in the health sector, we as members of the medical community must also be personally involved and take responsibility for the choices we make,” said Princess Haya. “Unless we have long-term vision, unless we invest in prevention, we will soon be overwhelmed by the level of diabetes, heart disease and other non-communicable diseases.”
The focus of this year’s Leaders in Healthcare was sustainable and green healthcare that would not only be environmentally friendly and cost-effective but also contribute to the overall quality of patient care and a higher quality of life for all people. Princess Haya, who delivered the keynote address, highlighted the need for sustainable healthcare systems, stressing that hospitals are one of the largest consumers of energy in the world today.
“They use twice as much energy per square foot as office buildings and generate millions and millions of tons of waste per year,” She said. “If the earth's ecosystem is to continue to support us, we need to preserve public health and provide health care in ways that will sustain our environment.”
Topics of discussion also included principles of sustainable healthcare, preventive approaches to healthcare, operational efficiency and increased profitability as well as the meaning of ‘going green’ and why it’s good for business.
Among other high-level speakers who took part in Leaders in Healthcare were: Brian De Francesca, Executive Vice President, TBS Group and Senior Partner, Capitol Health, USA; Heinrich Von Wulfen, CEO, EMEA and CRM, Siemens Healthcare Sector, Erlangen, Germany; G. Steven Burrill, Chief Executive, Burrill & Co., USA; Dr. Walid Fitahi, CEO, International Medical Centre, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Professor Elias Mossialos, Centre Director, London School of Economics Health, UK; Dr Mark Parrish, Director of Health Solutions Group Asia Pacific and Middle East, Microsoft, Australia.
The Arab Health Exhibition and Congress, organized by IIR Middle East, closed today at the Dubai World Trade Centre, featured more than 2700 exhibiting companies from 70 countries. Attended by in excess of 50,000 visitors it was the largest gathering ever of healthcare professionals in the Middle East.
In an initiative supported by Princess Haya, IIR Middle East and GTech arranged the collection and shipment of unused medical supplies and equipment that 2700 exhibitors donated from their stands to the Haitians that were left devastated after January 12
th’s earthquake.
Arab Health is supported by the UAE Ministry of Health, Dubai Health Authority and the Abu Dhabi Health Authority. For further information, please visit:
www.arabhealthonline.com
