Princess Haya, the wife of prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates – Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, attended the Leaders in Healthcare conference earlier this week in Dubai.
What is the Leaders in Healthcare conference?
The conference is one of the most reputable healthcare conferences in the Middle East. The conference attracts healthcare experts and leaders from all over the world. Each year the conference allows attendees to speak to experts from across the globe on discussions relating to the healthcare conferences topic agendas. The theme for this year’s conference was the ‘Evolution of Healthcare Automation’; topics included 3D medical printing and robotics for healthcare.
HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, who is chairperson of the Dubai Healthcare City Authority, presented a powerful keynote speech to officially commence the Leaders in Healthcare conference. This is the second time Princess Haya has introduced the Leaders in Healthcare conference through a speech, her royal highness also commended last year’s convention by making a speech.
Her Royal Highness appraised recent healthcare technologies.
“We have seen an emergence in the rise of smart technologies across the healthcare industry. The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, for example, last month, launched a robotic pharmacy in Al Fujairah hospital, whereby a robot is programmed to perform a number of tasks, from preparing a prescription to arranging stock and taking inventory – all at the click of a button.
“In 2014, the Ministry had also installed first-of-its-kind medical equipment in Al Qassimi Hospital to allow for a robot to conduct catheterization and cardiac surgery. Two days later, the first successful robotic operation was conducted.”
Princess Haya’s keynote speech argued that there is still an importance for a human touch. Her Royal Highness acknowledged that there needs to be a balance between technology and humanity. Princess Haya applauded the United Arab Emirates on their healthcare, saying: “I am very proud to be able to make a statement that reflects the humility of our healthcare teams. The combination of ambition and humility is the kind of balance that healthcare needs, and here in the UAE, we have that balance. Our leadership has embraced technology to ensure quality and it has never forgotten its people. And that is our message to all of you who visit us today.”
Her Royal Highness ended her speech by saying: “We must not allow disruptive technologies to become destructive. New technologies should stimulate us into thinking differently; they are not meant to stop us thinking at all. Machines make better decisions when the task is simple and the answer is certain. This is not always the case, as sometimes there is a doubt, grey area, where one needs the human brain, pragmatism, experience and often gut feeling to make the right choice.
“With this in mind, I wish you all the very best of luck for 2017 and beyond, and urge you as clinicians, healthcare providers, industry leaders, medical equipment companies, regulators, and insurance providers to work together to ensure that this amazing technological revolution in medicine works alongside doctors to produce the best results, and not replace human beings.”
