The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) and Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) won two major awards at the Asian Business Review’s Middle East Technology Excellence Awards 2021. This was in recognition of their leading digital initiatives, which contributed to enhancing the healthcare sector’s digital infrastructure and positioning Abu Dhabi as a hub for digital innovation in the Healthcare sector.
The two organisations won the Excellence in Healthcare Technology award in the Automation category in recognition of the Estijaba platform. Estijaba is a unique AI-based system that was launched in 2019 by DoH’s Centre of Emergency Preparedness and Response. The platform was developed to manage and collect day-to-day vital information related to the healthcare sector resources using algorithms, communication tools and smart systems, with the aim of ensuring the availability of data at real time.
The Estijaba platform contributed to enhancing the emirate's leading response to the COVID-19 pandemic by collecting and analysing information and data related to active cases and monitoring absorptive capacities in all healthcare facilities. The platform serves as an important tool by providing the necessary information for decision makers, allowing them to effectively and efficiently enhance the measures put in place to combat the pandemic and maintain the health and wellbeing of all members of the community. The platform also enhances cooperation and joint actions between Abu Dhabi’s healthcare facilities, by enabling them to exchange statistics and vital information in turn improving the quality and ease of access to healthcare services.
DoH and ADPHC won the Information Management Award for Malaffi, the first innovation platform for Health Information Exchange (HIE) in the region and one of DoH’s strategic initiatives. Malaffi aims to safely and securely connect both public and private healthcare providers in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. It enables the meaningful, real-time exchange of important information regarding patients’ health between healthcare providers. Malaffi is a centralised database of unified patient records which highly contributes to improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare provided.
Malaffi has played an integral role in bolstering the emirate’s response to the pandemic. The platform connects electronic medical records to centralise patient information in a single database for COVID-19 test results in the emirate. Malaffi also enables frontline healthcare workers and health authorities to manage patient vaccination data within the emirate, which ensures that patients receive the right dose at the right time, no matter the location they receive their vaccination from.
Commenting on this achievement, H.E Dr. Jamal Mohammed Alkaabi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, said: “Abu Dhabi’s leading technological infrastructure and the overall healthcare efforts in the emirate, under the guidance and support of our wise leadership, were behind the emirate’s successful response to the pandemic. Abu Dhabi leveraged advanced technological initiatives and platforms, such as Estijaba and Malaffi, to solidify the emirate’s position as one of the leading cities in the world when it comes to the pandemic response.”
Alkaabi added: “We are proud to see Abu Dhabi’s unique initiatives and programmes garnering regional and international recognition and appreciation. It is clear that Abu Dhabi has been able to set a leading example when it comes to readiness and quick employment of digital innovation to combat and tackle the pandemic. Abu Dhabi continues to deliver world-class healthcare services to the community in line with the highest levels of quality and efficiency.”
ADPHC statement
His Excellency Matar Saeed Al Nuaimi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Public Health Center, praised the Health sector teams’ efforts which deserves this recognition and said, “Despite the recent establishment of Abu Dhabi Public Health Center in 2019, it took take a leading role in the response to the Covid 19 pandemic, with automated response programs that supported in achieving speed, proactiveness and responding to the changes of the ongoing pandemic . Estijaba program is a live operations platform that monitors all Covid19 aspects 24/7, that offered logistic and medical support to patients in all UAE regions. We are determined to provide a level that matches Abu Dhabi and the UAE, while developing our health capabilities during response processes. His excellency added: “Abu Dhabi Public Health Center has received several important awards in a short period of time, and this has contributed to establishing Abu Dhabi's position globally as an incubator for scientific research, innovation, digital initiatives and technology, which was reflected in health and safety of community members and visitors.”
Malaffi statement
Both DoH, and ADPHC recently won eight prestigious awards at the 9th Annual 2021 CEO Awards as part of the Globee® Business Awards. The accolades were awarded in recognition of the emirate’s excellence and leadership in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The emirate's strategy was to raise awareness and employ digital solutions in its efforts to control the pandemic's impact on community health and safety.
