Dubai Health Authority marks International Day of Radiology

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 9, 2014: The Dubai Health Authority recently held an awareness campaign in Dubai Hospital and Latifa Hospital to mark International Day of Radiology.

The awareness campaign  at Dubai Hospital was inaugurated by Dr Abdulrehman Al Jassmi, CEO of Dubai Hospital and the event at Latifa Hospital was inaugurated by Dr Abdulrahim Mustafawi, Acting CEO of Latifa Hospital at Latifa Hospital.

Both hospitals carried out a series of awareness lectures and distributed educational material to raise awareness about radiation safety.

Al Jassmi said: “ We cannot imagine medicine without the pivotal role that radiology plays. In line with this year’s theme on medical imaging in oncology, we are glad to mention that Dubai Hospital will shortly inaugurate its interventional radiology unit. The unit will aid in the diagnosis and treatment of all kinds of vascular and non-vascular diseases and will be the first unit in provide interventional radiology services for the treatment of all kinds of cancer cases, particularly lung, liver and kidney cancer. Enhancing the medical services of the hospital to keep pace with advances in medicine is a key area of focus as it directly leads to improved patient outcomes.”

He added that the radiology department in the hospital provides several lectures and training programs for the public and medical staff on radiation safety.

Dr. Jassem Salem, Consultant and Head of Radiology Department at Dubai Hospital, said: “Our radiation levels are within the accepted levels of international standards, in fact, for some radiological examinations, they were lower than internationally accepted standards. These procedures include dental radiology practice within the DHA.”

He added that the department has several programs for radiology quality control.  “We also conduct education and training in radiation and safety, and this is an on-going initiative that takes place from time-to-time,” said Al Awadi.

Highlighting the importance of awareness among patients with regard to radiological procedures, he said:  “Patients should follow the rules and make sure they wear protective gear, pregnant women should always mention that they are pregnant before undergoing any procedure which involves radiation exposure. These are basic precautions, that all patients must undergo and this is possible only once they understand the importance of radiation safety.”

He added that the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in partnership with World Health Organization (WHO), International Society of Radiology (ISR) and Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences  recently organized a training programme on diagnostic imaging and use of referral guidelines and that the DHA is at the forefront of promoting unified referral guidelines across healthcare facilities.