Image used for illustrative purposes. Photo: Files

All students in Dubai will soon have a medical file which will be accessible to schools, medical facilities, and parents. This is to ensure that all stakeholders involved in a student’s health are informed about their medical history.

“Currently we are doing a total change in the system so that everybody is connected,” Dr Ramadan Alblooshi, advisor to the Director General of Dubai Health Authority (DHA) told Khaleej Times. “We will launch a central medical file of students which will be shared with their parents and schools so that if the student is moving from one school to another, the new school will know if they have a certain disease or certain medication.”

He said the idea was to make sure the school health community was on the same page. “The community is basically composed of a teacher, principal, father and mother or guardians, and the students themselves,” he said. “So, we need to make this connection together in one platform.”

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Dr Ramadan, who also functions as Director of the Public Health Protection Department, was speaking on the sidelines of the Healthcare Future Summit, which began in Dubai on Tuesday.

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

Recently, several schools in Dubai sent out a medical consent form by DHA’s Public Health Protection Department to ensure maintenance and monitoring of their ward’s health and well-being. The form sought consent for several preventive services including screening for vision acuity, hearing test, dental checkup, scoliosis screening and a comprehensive medical examination. A DHA vaccination guide for parents also underlined the importance of ensuring children’s vaccinations were up to date.

The authorities have also been working to increase awareness about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, Dr Ramadan said. Recommended to be administered by the age of 11 or 12, the HPV vaccine protects against genital warts and most cases of cervical cancer.

“The challenge was not the vaccine itself but the awareness and acceptance from families,” he said. “So in the coming years we’re going to have a lot of sessions of awareness programs for parents, teachers and even doctors.”

He said that they want to learn from parents what factors influence their acceptance of the vaccine. “Are their concerns related to the price, safety or other factors? Another challenge is that post-Covid a lot of families have changed their perspective of vaccines overall. So, we also need to address this challenge.”

Over 3,500 participants and 100 brands from more than 20 countries will come together in the Healthcare Future Summit, which is being held under the theme ‘Vaccination, Research and Development, Policy, and Delivery: Towards a Healthier Future’. It will focus on cutting-edge innovations in vaccination and healthcare, including advances in disease management and the application of advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance vaccine distribution and develop new strategies for future pandemics.

Photo: Supplied

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

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Nasreen Abdulla

Nasreen Abdulla is a Special Correspondent covering food, tech and human interest stories. When not challenged by deadlines, you’ll find her pulling off submissions on the jiu jitsu mats.