Image used for illustrative purposes. Photo: File

All students in Dubai will soon have a medical record that will be accessible to schools, medical institutions and parents. This is to ensure that everyone involved in a student’s health is informed of their medical history.

“Currently, we are doing a total change of the system so that everyone is connected,” Dr Ramadan Alblooshi, advisor to the director general of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), told Khaleej Times. “We will launch a central medical record of students which will be shared with their parents and schools so that if the student moves from one school to another, the new school will know if they are suffering from a certain illness or medications .”

He said the idea was to make sure the school health community was on the same page. “The community is basically made up of a teacher, a principal, a parent or guardians, and the student themselves,” he said. “So we need to make that connection together on one platform. »

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Dr Ramadan, who also serves as director of the Department of Public Health Protection, was speaking on the sidelines of the Future of Healthcare Summit, which kicked off in Dubai on Tuesday.

He added that the DHA would also start focusing on mental health in schools. “We have announced the mental health strategy for Dubai, and one of the categories we will focus on will be students,” he said. “We’re going to talk about a lot of issues like bullying, developmental issues, the needs of people of determination, etc.

Recently, several schools in Dubai have sent a medical consent form by the DHA Public Health Protection Department to ensure the health and well-being of their ward is maintained and monitored. The form requested consent for several preventive services, including visual acuity screening, hearing test, dental exam, scoliosis screening, and comprehensive medical exam. A DHA vaccination guide for parents also highlighted the importance of ensuring children’s vaccinations were up to date.

The authority has also been working to raise awareness about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, Dr Ramadan said. Recommended to be given before age 11 or 12, the HPV vaccine protects against genital warts and most cases of cervical cancer.

“The challenge was not the vaccine itself but awareness and acceptance among families,” he said. “So in the coming years, we will organize many sessions of awareness programs for parents, teachers and even doctors.”

He said they wanted to learn from parents what factors influence their acceptance of the vaccine. “Are their concerns related to price, safety or other factors? Another challenge is that after Covid, many families have changed their views on vaccines overall. We must therefore also take up this challenge.

More than 3,500 participants and 100 brands from more than 20 countries will come together at the Healthcare Future Summit, which will be held under the theme “Vaccination, research and development, policy and delivery: towards a healthier future.” It will focus on cutting-edge innovations in immunization and healthcare, including advances in disease management and the application of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to improve vaccine distribution and expand new strategies for future pandemics.

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According to Professor Peter J Pitts, Associate Commissioner at the FDA and speaker at the event, the conference also reinforces the value of vaccines. “The UAE is at the global forefront of valuable, cost-effective vaccines that combat shingles, RSV, HPV, annual flu and a host of other illnesses that, if left untreated, will cost millions lives and will deplete public health resources,” he said. said.

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Nasreen Abdallah

Nasreen Abdulla is a special correspondent who covers stories on food, technology and humanity. When she’s not facing deadlines, you’ll find her performing submissions on the jiu jitsu mats.