DUBAI - The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced that it has obtained institutional accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME-I) to accredit 32 training programmes in various medical specialties over the next four years.

This achievement comes as a translation of the recent cooperation agreement signed between DHA and ACGME-I, as part of the continuous efforts made by DHA to raise the level of efficiency and quality of health services provided by health facilities in Dubai to be in line with the best international standards and practices that focus on quality and patient safety. This will enhance the competitiveness of the health system in Dubai as an ideal destination for health and medical tourism, and as a leading destination in the field of medical education, research and scientific innovation.

Awad Saghir Al Ketbi, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, underscored the commitment of the authority’s academic programmes (residency and fellowship) to apply world-class standards and requirements for efficiency and quality that characterise medical training programmes in the United States of America. This enables DHA to graduate national and resident physicians in greater numbers from the public and private sectors to supplement our health system with a high level of medical competence and skill comparable to the level enjoyed by peer professionals in the US.

Dr. Wadeia Muhammad Sharif, Director of Medical Education and Research Department in DHA, referred to the institutional accreditation requirements as a big support to the academic and clinical environment to carry out scientific and clinical research in which young trainees and specialists take part in, which seeks to advance the health outcomes of individuals and society, especially in the field of patient safety and quality provided, based on the latest scientific evidence.

She added that the signing of the agreement between DHA and (ACGME-I) opens the door for 32 specialised programmes in Dubai for accreditation over the next four years, which contributes to increasing the number of graduate medical education programmes in medical specialties aligned with Dubai's aspirations and requirements for its present and future health sector, such as clinical informatics, public health, genomics and aviation medicine, and others, which contributes to the development and strengthening of institutional capabilities and competencies necessary to manage health facilities and their organisational units.

Dr. Wadeia also explained that the first programme accreditation phase will include six medical specialties, mainly internal medicine, general surgery, family medicine, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and diagnostic radiology.

For his part, President and CEO of ACGME-I, Dr. James Arrighi, during his visit to DHA, stated that the signing of the cooperation agreement comes in line with achieving the council’s vision to develop health care and advance the quality of training and medical education through accreditation. "We are working to protect the interests and rights of the trainees and develop the quality of training, education, research and professional practice in an effort to benefit the community served by our accredited programmes and the young physicians who graduate from them."