"GS1 UAE Healthcare 2026" Emphasizes the importance of the role of international standards in developing hospitals
Dubai, June 25 / WAM / The “GS1 UAE Healthcare 2026” conference, which concluded its activities in Dubai today, emphasized the role of international standards in developing the performance of hospitals and building a more efficient health system capable of meeting the requirements of modern care in the region.
The conference, which was held with the participation of an elite group of health sector leaders and experts, regulatory bodies concerned with setting frameworks and policies governing the sector, pharmaceutical service providers, and a number of specialists and partners of the health system, along with representatives of more than 20 hospitals, discussed ways to enable care institutions in the region to keep pace with the increasing complexities witnessed by the sector, and focused on highlighting the practical role of global standards in the health care sector, not only as regulatory requirements, but as tools that help hospitals provide safer care for patients, by tracking medicines and medical supplies in each case. A stage of its circulation, in addition to raising the efficiency of managing resources and daily services within hospitals.
The event highlighted the importance of unifying data on patients, medicines, medical supplies, and inventory, and exchanging it between healthcare stakeholders, in a way that supports building an interconnected health system that is accurate and transparent, and capable of benefiting from data at the various stages of care provision.
A number of representatives of health institutions and prominent specialized bodies participated in the conference sessions, including Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Prime Health, Leeds Teaching Hospitals affiliated with the British Health Services Authority, GMDN, Mecomed, and Snowmed International, who presented their visions and practical experiences on the role of international standards in achieving tangible improvements in hospital performance and operational processes.
Maha Anisa, Director of the Healthcare Sector at GS1 UAE, stressed that developing the care system requires the existence of a common base that helps all concerned parties understand data on medicines, medical supplies and services, and exchange them with a higher degree of clarity and confidence, noting that international standards play a pivotal role in accurately tracking the path of medicines, equipment and health services, which helps reduce the risks that patients may be exposed to, and build systems capable of keeping pace with the needs of the future.
Fatima Al-Subaihi, Executive Director responsible for supply operations at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, said that the increasing complexity of health care systems makes it necessary to reconsider the role of supply chains, which are no longer just an operational function within health institutions, but rather have become an influential strategic element in the quality of care.
Deniz Bros, CEO of GMDN, explained that developing the care system is not limited to linking data between different agencies, but also requires a unified language to define and classify medical devices, noting that having a unified nomenclature for these devices enables institutions to choose the most appropriate ones, know the path of their use within facilities, and deal quickly with any procedures to withdraw them when needed, and provides medical teams with clearer information about the tools used in care, which makes decisions more accurate at various stages of the patient’s journey.
Mark Songhurst, Director of Programs at Leeds Teaching Hospitals of the British National Health Service, said that the experience of the “Scan4Safety” program demonstrated the ability of global standards to help health institutions deal with operational challenges and risks associated with patient safety, by knowing the path of medicines and medical supplies within the hospital, and accurately determining the places where they are used and the patients they reach. Helping care teams make more informed decisions, while keeping patient care at the core.
Jalil Rahman, Head of Information Technology and Digital Transformation Affairs at Prime Health, said that health institutions need a clear vision that does not stop at the boundaries of each department or department within the facility, but rather extends throughout the entire patient journey. In this context, he pointed out that the GS1 standards help provide a unified framework through which information is transmitted between different parties, starting from receiving medicines and medical supplies and managing inventory, all the way to providing care to patients. This enhances transparency and increases work efficiency within health facilities.
Conference participants stressed that expanding the use of international standards within the health sector is no longer just a regulatory option, but rather a practical necessity to improve the tracking of medicines and medical supplies, and facilitate the exchange of data between concerned parties, in addition to their role in enabling hospitals to deal with modern care requirements during the next stage.
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