Abu Dhabi to Host Middle East Mobile Health Summit

Healthcare professionals are gathering for the inaugural mHealth Summit Middle East in Abu Dhabi to discuss Middle East-specific mobile and personal connected health strategies in the fight against contagious diseases.

The two-day mHealth Summit Middle East will launch on May 28, 2014, and will feature a varied program of interactive sessions covering topics such as market development, chronic disease management, and regulation. It will also offer special training sessions, networking, and an “mhealth in action” showcase. A high profile panel discussion will open the event and present the case for the deployment of international protocols for mHealth solutions to fight the wave of chronic diseases that are straining healthcare systems in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the developed world.

Contagious diseases, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), will be debated with Russell Gann, MD, a world-renowned expert and advisor to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC; Atlanta, GA, USA) and the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland). Dr. Gann will argue that effective mHealth and epidemic reporting systems should be able to detect and respond to disease or contagion outbreak and provide recommendations on what governments, hospitals, and the industry need to be doing now to combat contagious disease and how to remain vigilant against the potential of future outbreaks.

Distinguished speakers include Samir Pujari, MD, of the WHO, and Hani Eskandari, PhD, from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU; Geneva, Switzerland). The mHealth Summit Middle East is being organized by HIMSS Middle East (Chicago, IL, USA), a cause-based not-for-profit global enterprise that produces health information technology (IT) thought leadership around the world. Partners include the Personal Connected Health Alliance, Continua Health Alliance, and Health Authority– Abu Dhabi (HAAD; UAE).

“The debut of the mHealth Summit Middle East comes at a time when healthcare in the region is undergoing significant change and development across the board, and with issues such as the MERS virus making international headlines yet again, this is also a timely platform for healthcare specialists and thought leaders to demonstrate the potential for mHealth applications in addressing both serious chronic and contagious diseases,” said H. Stephen Lieber, president & CEO of HIMSS Worldwide.

Another hot topic at the summit will be gamification in the healthcare industry, which will headline two sessions led by strategic event partner “the Games for Health Project.” The initiative supports the development of the health games community, encourages efforts to mainstream health games, and brings together researchers, health professionals, and game developers to share best practices and information about the impact games and game technologies can have on health, health care, and policy.

“Engaging patients and wellness-focused consumers is imperative if mHealth is to become a go-to resource for the general public as well as the healthcare community,” concluded Mr. Lieber. “We and are seeing the implementation of the first generation of market-ready, game-based projects and the Middle East is ready to embrace and deploy this exciting new wave of opportunity, which will be especially useful when combating the prevalence of lifestyle illnesses such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.”

Related Links:
mHealth Summit Middle East
US Centers for Disease Control
Health Authority– Abu Dhabi