Largest multi-track medical conference opens today

BY PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 25 Jan 2010

The world's largest multi-track medical conference which is commencing in Dubai on Monday will witness traffic flow of over 55,000 healthcare professionals from across the world.

Keeping abreast of the latest advances in medicine, the Arab Health Congress 2010 will be staged until Jan.28 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Simon Page, Group Director of Life Sciences Division, IIR Middle East that organises the Arab Health Congress, said, "The conference is by far the most extensive single scientific and educational platform for healthcare professionals not just in the Middle East, but on a global scale."

"This year, the congress features 18 accredited conferences addressed by 500 internationally acclaimed speakers. About 15 conferences will provide professionals with high-level accreditation approved as American Medical Association Physician's Recognition Award (AMA PRA) Category One credit," he added.

"This is supported by Cleveland Clinic Centre for Continuing Education, a not-for-profit academic medical centre that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education, to expand medical education activities," he noted.

According to Page, all healthcare service providers including hospitals, clinics and pharmacies must stay ahead by keeping their medical accreditation up to date, with the region's healthcare sector continuing to expand.

He said that healthcare professionals must maintain an annual quota of continuing medical education (CME) credits in order to renew medical practising licences.

"For many the Congress represents significant financial and time saving as, until recently, only limited CME courses were available in the region forcing many to travel abroad," he noted.

"The topics discussed in the conference include anaesthesia, medical imaging and diagnosis, cardiovascular diseases, orthopaedics, surgery, laboratory medicine, urology, paediatrics, gastroenterology and hepatology, quality management in healthcare, endovascular, molecular imaging and nuclear medicine," Page explained.

"Additional non-CME conferences on leaders in healthcare, the healthcare insurance forum, and the healthcare management forum will also be conducted," he added.

The Arab Health Exhibition and Congress are supported by the Ministry of Health, Dubai Health Authority and the Abu Dhabi Health Authority.