Department of Health – Abu Dhabi reports increase in annual inspections of medical institutions in recent years

The Department of Health—Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi, reported that since the inception of the Jawda programme 2014, there has been an increase in the number of annual inspection visits to medical and pharmaceutical facilities in the emirate. There were more than 3,000 visits in 2017 and 3,200 visits in 2018. Throughout the first quarter of 2019, more than 700 clinical inspections were conducted.

The inspection visits are part of the JAWDA programme, which was launched by the DoH to continuously monitor and evaluate the quality of healthcare services provided by healthcare facilities in Abu Dhabi. It aims to ensure that healthcare facilities continuously work towards further enhancing services delivered to residents in the emirate in a bid to ensure a world-class healthcare system.

After each visit, DoH develops a detailed report with a breakdown of the results of the inspection which includes any infractions that took place during the audit, with all observations and violations recorded. This report is sent to the appropriate department to follow up on the incidents and ensure changes are implemented in the medical facilities. DoH also notifies the concerned facility, who is then responsible for submitting an action plan, with the objective to correct any errors that have been identified within a specific time period determined by the severity of the violations. The quality audit team then conducts a follow-up visit to ascertain the completion of the necessary procedures to rectify the violations mentioned in the action plan.

Dr. Asma Al Mannaei, Director, Healthcare Quality Division at DoH commented: “Since its establishment, DoH has taken the lead in ensuring the implementation of the highest quality standards in Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector, enforcing a culture of quality. This has become an integral part of the sector and its outputs, one of the main reasons behind the success and excellence of the sector, thereby reinforcing our position as a global hub for medical tourism.”

Al Mannaei added: “By pursuing medical inspections and audits, we aim to achieve the highest levels of quality in healthcare, as we work closely alongside the healthcare facilities and pharmacies in question. This is done by flagging any violations to the facilities and allowing them the opportunity to rectify any errors. With our entity and the facilities working together, we are able to develop an effective action plan, which consists of improving the performance of the clinic and ensuring it actively contributes to the emirate’s healthcare sector.”

The results of the inspections organised by DoH showed that over 93% of medical facilities and pharmacies in the emirate are abiding by the rules and regulations previously established by DoH.

Since 2010, DoH’s Health Audit Team has carried out inspections at healthcare facilities in Abu Dhabi to ensure they adhere to the standards determined by the healthcare regulator, which are in line with international health standards. This ensures that health services are provided in an ethical and professional manner.

Earlier this year, the DoH had introduced a new set of JAWDA indicators to its Abu Dhabi Healthcare Quality Index, for general and specialised health facilities in Abu Dhabi. The new indicators aim to ensure a stringent quality evaluation framework in place that maintains an exceptional patient experience and high-quality healthcare services.