Two Dubai health authorities have signed an agreement to link the licencing information of healthcare professionals on the blockchain and allow them to apply for licences to operate in the city.

The city’s Health Authority (DHA) and the Healthcare City Authority – Regulatory (DHC-A) signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) during the Gitex Technology Week 2018 in the country’s capital.

The project entails linking the DHA’s Sheryan smart licencing system to the DHC-A’s Masaare-services portal via a blockchain network. Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO of DHA’s Health Regulation, says “electronically linking the data of healthcare professionals in Dubai unifies policies and simplifies procedures related to the licensing of health care professionals, enhancing efficiency and reducing costs”.

Improving health care services

Mulla also says the DHC-A is a strategic partner to the health authority he heads. “The authority is keen to strengthen its relations with all of its strategic partners in the public and private sector to continue to provide the people of Dubai with quality health services”.

DHC-A CEO Dr Ramadan al Blooshi, says “the agreement, the latest with DHA, our strategic partner in developing the health sector in the emirate of Dubai, will help us to collectively tap into the new opportunities that blockchain technology is opening”.

Reducing health care costs in Dubai

Blooshi notes that the government of Dubai has estimated implementation of the blockchain will save the emirate nearly $1.5 billion annually in document processing alone.

“In line with this, linking Masaar and the DHA licencing portal through this technology will empower us to achieve new levels of operational and cost efficiency by reducing some of our processes from days to seconds with the click of a button”, he states. The Masaar e-services portal is designed to deliver an array of services in line with the Smart Duba initiatives. It offers more than 100 online services.

According to the MoU, the system will also enable health facilities managers from around the world to apply remotely for authorisation to set up medical facilities in Dubai, track their applications and track their online payments.