The UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda aims to achieve a world-class healthcare system since success requires an open mind and healthy body, affirmed Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention. 

'The UAE Government will work in collaboration with all health authorities in the country to have all public and private hospitals accredited according to clear national and international quality standards of medical services and staff,' said Al Owais in his keynote address at the 15th Arab Conference In the Modern Trends of Hospital Management, being held under the title: Improving the quality and value of sustainable Healthcare through the participation of the beneficiaries in the healthcare system, from 5th to 7th December 2016, in Abu Dhabi. 

'Furthermore, the National Agenda emphasises the importance of preventive medicine and seeks to reduce lifestyle related diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases to ensure a longer, healthy life for citizens. In addition, the Agenda aims to reduce the prevalence of smoking and increase the healthcare system's readiness to deal with epidemics and health risks. This will result in the UAE becoming among the best countries in the world in terms of quality of healthcare,' the minister said in his address read on his behalf by Dr Abdulrahman Al Awar, Director-General of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR). 

He said the UAE is proud of the remarkable progress taking place in the health sectors in areas of infrastructure, technological and technical fields, legislations and regulations and highly qualified and trained health professionals. 

The public-private partnership, he noted, had played a significant role in the development of the world-class healthcare system the UAE boasts today. 

'The world is currently facing tremendous, complicated challenges in the healthcare sector and the governments are demanded to cooperate with international health organisations to address and tackle them,' he concluded. 

The three-day conference aims to raise awareness of involving the public and patients in the health care process, and promote their role as beneficiaries from health services. 

Keynote speakers will inform health professionals from across the Middle East and Europe about how the latest research, thought leadership and best practices in patient and family engagement can help health care providers activate patients in their care to improve health and performance outcomes and streamline clinical workflows. 

Organiser Saudi Arabia's Mouwasat Medical Services Company says the significance of this conference lies in the fact that it raises the concept of involving the public and the patients in the health care process, and promoting their role as beneficiaries from the health services. 

The conference will shed light on one of the important concept that does not receive adequate attention in the Arab world, namely giving beneficiaries a greater role in health care system through focusing on the effective policies for beneficiaries' participation in the health care system and benefiting from the best scientific practices and success stories from all over the world. 

One of the main objectives of the medical meeting is to introduce the best regional and international practices and success stories in applying the concept of the "beneficiary" as the target of the health care services as well as to boost the awareness of this concept.. 

Dr. Nasser AlHatlan Al-Qahtani, Director-General of the Arab Administrative Development Organisation and conference chairman, said the conference's theme fits well into the UAE's efforts to deliver happiness to its people.