DHA begins vital training program in healthcare research methodology.

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• Aim of the program is to promote research as a tool to analyse and tackle pressing healthcare concerns and to build the capacity of government staff to design and implement research programs at the highest international standards


• Research on fertility trends in Dubai and other healthcare issues underway

 
In a bid to promote medical research, the Dubai Health Authority has begun training healthcare professionals in research methodology.
 
The aim of the program is to build the capacity of government staff to design and implement research programs to understand the health and healthcare concerns of the population of Dubai and develop evidence based policies and strategies to address those concerns.
 
Mr Essa Kazim, CEO of Health Policy and Strategy at the DHA said, “The initiative to provide in-house training stems from the Dubai Health Authority’s serious commitment to research and evidence-based policy. We believe that research is a driver of growth, innovation and development and this strategy is in line with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai’s 2015 strategic plan which encourages the need to harness local talent through training initiatives.”
 
He highlighted that the training is being conducted by highly-qualified professionals who have vast experience in research, health policy, healthcare finance and health economics and have previously worked in organisations such as The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, The World Bank, the Population Council, The United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The training is being conducted in cooperation with the DHA’s Medical Education Department by Dr. Eldaw Abdalla Suliman, Head of Research and Performance in the Health Policy and Strategy Sector, with support from Dr. Peyvand Khaleghian, the DHA’s Director of Policy and Strategy.
 
The program is a joint initiative of the Policy and Strategy Sector and the Medical Education Department at the DHA.
 
Dr. Khalil Ibrahim Qayed, Director of Medical Education at the DHA said, “Our medical professionals in the DHA health centres and hospitals have access to vital healthcare data. We would like to develop highly qualified staff and inculcate the culture of research to analyse this complex data in an evidence based, rational and thus effective manner. This, we believe, will help understand the current and future healthcare needs of our population.
 
“Keeping this in mind, the training courses have been designed to incorporate research methodology, health economics, health policy and planning.”
 
Dr. Peyvand Khaleghian, Director of Policy and Strategy at the DHA added, “This is part of the DHA’s strategy to build strong capabilities in strategy, policy and research because these are vital to develop the healthcare sector in Dubai.”
 
Already a group of students with the guidance of their faculty have undertaken a research about fertility trends in Dubai which tabulates the fertility rate for the Emirate of
Dubai, the patterns, trends etc.
 
Dr. Eldaw Abdalla Suliman, Head of Research and Performance in the DHA’s Health Policy and Strategy Sector said, “The data we have collected for the fertility study is being used to analyse the needs of maternal and child services that are required in Dubai, the number of maternal beds we require and how we can plan this effectively for the Emirate of Dubai. It will also help to better understand the future population structure of Dubai – which is important not only for healthcare, but also for many other sectors in Dubai and thus for the development of the Emirate. So, in this sense, research has far-reaching effects and benefits the medical sector at all levels from information to planning and policy-making decisions.
 
“This program aims to identify priority healthcare issues through research and to build the capacity of key government staff to use analytical tools in developing effective, long-term solutions to address Dubai’s major healthcare concerns – from improving access to health care services to the fight against diabetes.”
 
The program that began in December 2009 is conducted at the DHA premises every
Monday and over 100 students have already enrolled themselves into this program, of which 80 per cent are Emiratis.
 

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