ZonesCorp contributes with Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi in completing "Economic Survey" project

WAM Abu Dhabi, May 21st, 2012 (WAM) -- The Higher Corporation for Specialized Economic Zones (ZonesCorp) has joined efforts with the Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi (SCAD) in the latter's recently launched economic survey project and is set to cover the entire Emirate, including Al Ain and the Western Region.

ZonesCorp confirmed its support for the initiative, which aimed at accumulating latest figures and data for years 2010-2011 pertaining to seven key sectors: construction and building materials, retail and wholesale trade and maintenance of vehicles and motorcycles, transport and storage, Information and Communications, Finance and Insurance (banks, insurance companies, etc.), Services (hotels, restaurants, and companies providing services in property, healthcare, education, law, personal accounting, social initiatives, sports, etc.), and Mining and Manufacturing Industries- including the production and distribution of water, electricity and sewage systems.

Commenting on the recent joint initiative, Mohamed Hasan Al Qamzi, CEO of ZonesCorp said: "ZonesCorp is always working towards establishing itself as a key player in achieving the Emirate's 2030 vision, and we understand the importance of compiling a comprehensive, accurate statistical database in supporting decision making processes for the leaders of Abu Dhabi. This has led us to welcome this project with SCAD to facilitate communication channels with the largest number of factories working within our different zones, since we have extensive experience in organizing, licensing and overseeing economic and industrial operations within our areas and also within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi." As part of its cooperation, ZonesCorp will be providing a list of factories operating within its zones (ICAD I, II, '&' III and Al Ain Industrial Cities I '&' II) to SCAD, in addition to spreading awareness to factories and investors regarding the Economic Survey project and communicating the importance of providing accurate numerical data and figures. ZonesCorp will also be providing all the information related to this project to factory representatives and to clients, while encouraging them to cooperate with SCAD researchers in filling out necessary forms, in order to support this effort that is meant to enhance the Emirate's economy and achieve the Vision 2030.

Butti Ahmed Mohammed Bin Butti Al Qubaisi, SCAD's Director General, stated: "The Statistics Center Abu Dhabi is committed to supporting decision and policy makers in developing all areas in the Emirate, including the seven sectors found within this project, by providing them with the most accurate and updated information. Our aim is to actively contribute to the development of these industries and to ensure that they meet the best, professional global standards, due to their important role in developing our economy." ZonesCorp had signed a service level agreement with SCAD in 2011, to exchange information, data and figures, where it understood the positive effects of this cooperation on other sectors and on Abu Dhabi's economy.

WAM/ES/AM

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Dubai is the first city in the Middle-East to complete the EMRAM survey

WAM Dubai, 12th Feb. 2012 (WAM): The Dubai Health Authority and HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) announced today the results of the survey which determines the electronic efficiency of hospitals in the Emirate of Dubai.

The in-depth survey, which was carried out for the first time in the Middle East region, involved surveying 21 private and four public hospitals in Dubai to determine to what extent hospitals use digital technology and whether they have a paperless environment.

The survey is the first step in the DHA's long term aim to ensure all hospitals in the Emirate of Dubai eventually adopt the electronic model which will facilitate the provision of better healthcare services to the community.

Laila Al Jassmi, CEO of Health Policy and Strategy at the DHA said, "The e-Health Section at the Health Policy and Strategy Sector spearheaded the deployment of the survey in association with the HIMSS Analytics Office in Singapore. The DHA intends to deploy the survey annually to guide Dubai Health Authority on how to best assess the health IT landscape in the Emirate of Dubai." The eventual aim for the Emirate of Dubai is to ensure all hospitals follow the electronic model, said Al Jassmi.

The survey was carried out using the EMRAM (Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model) system for the Middle-East region. EMRAM stands for: Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model and is accepted today world-wide as an international benchmark to stage hospital's electronic efforts.

John Hoyt, Executive Vice President, HIMSS Analytics, USA said, "Due to the completion of this survey, hospitals in Dubai are now in a better position to compare themselves to other hospitals in terms of how paperless they are. The survey also helps hospitals get a complete picture of their current spending and highlights the cost-efficiency if they were to adopt a paperless environment.

"There are several advantages of being a paperless hospital. Today, information systems in hospitals have a tremendous capability to help improve quality, safety and efficiency. Adopting a paperless environment leads to a reduction in medication errors, reduction in process time, increases patient and family satisfaction and increases nursing satisfaction." Dr Mohammad Al Redha, Acting Director, Health Data and Information Analysis Department, Health Policy and Strategy Sector, Dubai Health Authority said, "Introducing electronic information systems in hospitals helps doctors respond to investigation results immediately, which effectively means patients are treated sooner and that in itself is a significant benefit." Dr Redha highlighted the results of the survey and said, "We adopted the EMRAM model which uses a 0-7 stage scale to rate hospitals based on the extent to which they have adopted a paperless, digital system. Stage 7 means the hospital is a paperless and digital hospital.

"Our results showed that, 23 hospitals in Dubai (39.1%) are at the beginning of their EMR journey at stage 1. Another 30.4% are at stage 2. Few hospitals are at stages 3 and 4. However, no hospital was awarded stage 5, 6 or 7.

More than a fifth of the hospitals in Dubai (21.7%) are not on an Electronic Medical Records track. " Dr Redha concluded the results of the survey and said, "This means that almost 70% of the hospitals in Dubai are at the early stages of EMRAM (Stages 1 '&' 2) and therefore more efforts are required to encourage public and private healthcare facilities to attain desirable, higher levels of IT adoption to improve patient safety and provide quality care." Dr Redha said that this survey will help the DHA in its long terms plans for developing the necessary standards for implementing and managing the health information systems in the Emirate. "The ultimate aim of DHA's eHealth goal is to improve the quality, efficiency and safety of clinical care by making relevant health information conveniently accessible to patients and authorized care providers within the Emirate of Dubai. We will use the EMR Adoption Model Score(s) to identify the gaps in Dubai's health care system's health information technology development and determine the most appropriate initiatives including budgeting, policies and strategies to assist hospitals develop health IT systems and achieve a paperless environment." WAM/TF

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National Survey To Assess The Prevalence Of Diabetes And Risk Factors

The Ministry of Health signed an agreement with the University of Sharjah, Sanofi and The Baker Foundation to conduct a two year national survey of diabetes that will determine the prevalence of diabetes and its risk factors in the United Arab Emirates.

The agreement was signed by Prof. Dr. Hossam El-Din Hamdi, Vice Chancellor of the University of Sharjah and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dr. George Morcos General Manager of Sanofi Gulf in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Mahmoud Fikri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Assistant for Health Policy, Dr. Amer Abdel-Hamid, Advisor to His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah for Higher Education and Prof. Dr. Samy Mahmoud, director of the University of Sharjah and Dr. Mohamed Ismail, deputy director of the University of Sharjah Financial and Administrative Affairs, and Dr. Salah Taher Al Haj, Vice Chancellor for community Affairs.

The survey is being conducted for the first time in the region and will include 6,000 citizens and residents of the United Arab Emirates. The groups of specialists have been selected by the Ministry of Health, after being trained in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sharjah and The Baker Foundation in Australia. The training focused on how to obtain the necessary information and data and record it in the survey forms.

Professor Dr. Amer Abdel-Hamid, Advisor to His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and President of the Academy of Sharjah for scientific research, who will oversee the research for this survey, said, “Everything we see today is a reflection of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, President and Founder of the University of Sharjah, which is crucial to the development of Sharjah’s vision for better education and health.” He added, “it is the result of several teams’ hard work and dedication, a combined effort that reflects the common goal of universities, medical schools, the Academy of Sharjah for Scientific Research, hospitals and other educational and health organisations, to cooperate with specialized international institutions. This collaboration has always been the vision of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah. We hope the study will produce quality results that will determine the risk factors of diabetes.”

Prof. Dr. Hossam El-Din Hamdi, Vice Chancellor of the University of Sharjah and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine said, “This cooperation would bring together a variety of specialized scientists to discuss one of the most important diseases afflicting the global community. This survey will be crucial to identifying scientific ways to counteract the effects of the disease and its risks”.

Prof. Dr. Sami Mahmoud, Director of the University of Sharjah, during his speech said that this triangle of integration will lead to positive results. The collaboration between the Ministry of Health, as a governmental body, the University of Sharjah, as an educational body, along with Sanofi and The Baker Foundation, for heart disease and diabetes, as industry bodies, is important in the fight against diabetes and the reduction of risks. Dr. Sami also stated that, “this cooperation with its significant scientific research is aligned with the strategy of the University of Sharjah. We are completely invested in this initiative and are ready to engage more partners as well as provide all the resources needed.”

Dr. Mahmoud Fikri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Assistant for Health Policies added, “The agreement signed today reflects a unified national response to diabetes, resulting from an agreement signed earlier this year between the Ministry of Health and the University of Sharjah as well as this study.”

Dr. Fikri also said “The Ministry of Health will provide all the necessary support and resources to conduct this survey and we look forward to creating a database of national health information. This will help identify specific solutions that will effectively address the issue on a national scale.”

Mr. George Morcos, General Manager of Sanofi in Gulf said, “As a socially responsible player, Sanofi is committed to enhance the wellbeing and standard of living of our society as a whole. Considering the alarming state of diabetes prevalence in the UAE, we have dedicated massive efforts to provide the best possible tools in order to increase awareness, medical practice development and patient education. Today, we are very happy to collaborate and to partner with the UAE Ministry of Health, the University of Sharjah and The Baker IDI institute for the launch of this important UAE Diabetes Epidemiology study, which will give the right number of prevalence of diabetes in the nation”.

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