How Abu Dhabi is developing a public health strategy through the ‘Electronic Platform for Disease Registry’

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News on Thursday, October 13, Dr Jamal Al Mutawa Al Naqbi, Director of ADPHC’s Public Health Systems Division, said the platform will work to detect different diseases such as cancer, diabetes and mental health to help create necessary screenings plan to ensure better public health.

According to Al Naqbi, by understanding which diseases are affecting the population, this will help Abu Dhabi’s health authorities take action against diseases and raise awareness.

“Through this platform, we are focusing on disease prevention and control, and without knowing how widespread the disease is, we will not be able to act accordingly,” he said.

“For cancer, for example, we look at how different types of cancer are distributed in the community. If the platform shows a high number of breast cancer cases, then health authorities will promote breast screening and urge women to get mammograms if they are eligible. Please consult a doctor,” he added.

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Through this platform, we are looking at the prevention and control of diseases, and without knowing how common the disease is, we will not be able to take corresponding actions.

– Dr Jamal Al Mutawa Al Naqbi, Director, Department of Public Health Systems, ADPHC

“We also tell doctors what details are needed to register the disease in the system. In this way, we ensure that data entry is done in a controlled manner. We also assess the quality of the data,” he said.

Detailed entry of data will provide ADPHC with details not only of diseases prevalent in the community, but also of the parts of the community that are most affected by it.

“We also examine whether certain diseases are common among certain ages, genders and ethnicities. For example, with this data, we can see that breast cancer is more common in women than men, although men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer cancer,” he said.

“Through disease registries, we can also find out what types of cancer are commonly found in children,” he added.

Likewise, for other chronic diseases such as diabetes, the registry is designed to enable doctors and other medical professionals to analyze which groups are most vulnerable.

“We are also encouraging people to get tested for diabetes after they turn 18, as some may be prediabetic. With the data we receive from the platform, we can create advocacy programs centered on healthy eating and exercise, which will help to prevent these diseases and facilitate early detection,” he added.