By Majorie van Leijen

All beds in hospitals and healthcare facilities of Dubai Health Authority will be provided with Android tablets, the DHA announced on Tuesday.



A total of 3,000 Android tablets will be distributed in the first phase in all 14 DHA primary healthcare centres, specialty centres and hospitals, which include 784 beds in Rashid Hospital, 712 in Dubai Hospital, 448 in Latifa Hospital and 119 beds in Hatta Hospital. More will be given out later.



“The use of Android tablets in all DHA healthcare facilities is the first step in our plan to build ‘smart hospitals’ that will be equipped with the latest IT technology to enhance customer experience,” said Director-General Essa Al Maidoor.

“Customer care is at the heart of the Dubai Health Strategy 2013-2025 and these initiatives are aimed at improving the user experience of patients. All DHA hospitals and healthcare facilities will also have Internet which will allow patients to keep track of their social media accounts, email, read the news or watch movies,” Al Maidoor said.



“All patients may not like to watch the same TV channel. Now, every patient can choose what he/she wants to see. The aim is to enable patients to continue life as normally as possible.



“It will give patients information on their health and wellbeing and can also be used as a tool to generate quick and efficient patient feedback,” he added.



In the last quarter of 2011, DHA introduced several smartphone applications that were developed internally. These apps have features that allow users to view appointment details, check medical test results and health card details.



A patient’s file will include all medical information available and give a complete overview of a patient’s medical history in the UAE. These apps can be used by doctors and patients alike.



The electronic medical records system, the health information system and smart hospitals form part of DHA’s IT roadmap, which will be rolled out over the next two to three years.



“Once implemented, these three initiatives will help DHA manage not only the present but also the future needs of the healthcare business,” said Al Maidoor.

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