The Department of Health–Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the emirate, has announced the launch of the Abu Dhabi Healthcare Cyberlearning Programme. The programme, which is the first-of-its-kind in the region, seeks to promote cyber security best practices and habits among all healthcare professionals working within the emirate. In addition, the Abu Dhabi Healthcare Cyberlearning Programme aims to build a secure digital infrastructure for the sector, further reaffirming DoH’s position as a leader in harnessing digital health technologies to deliver world-class healthcare.
The programme, which is held virtually, aims to familiarise healthcare professionals with IT and cyber security standards and educate them on common potential risks and how to mitigate them. It also seeks to raise awareness around the roles and responsibilities of individual members within the digital healthcare ecosystem and highlights the global best practices around patient data privacy and health information security.
As part of the programme, and in coordination with renowned academic institutions, a series of educational cyber security workshops will be conducted to onboard over 58,000 healthcare professionals to further empower them with the knowledge and skills that are required for health information security.
Abdulla Bader Al Sayari, Acting Manager of Information and Cyber Security Office at DoH, said: “At a time when DoH is charging full speed ahead towards a promising future over the next 50 years for its healthcare sector, we have identified a critical need to focus on cyber security and further enhance our preparedness to deal with cyber security risks in the most efficient and effective way. This move will further reinforce Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading hub for innovation and complement its outstanding response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through utilising modern digital health technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) we are able to further boost the quality of healthcare services and maintain the health and wellbeing of all members of the community.”
“Cyber security awareness is a dynamic facet of the world we live in today. That is why the programme will serve as a fundamental cornerstone for a comprehensive and sustainable framework to keep healthcare professionals aware of cybercrime trends and empower them to effectively and safely respond to any digital threats or attacks and continue to maintain the security and privacy of patient data” Al Sayari added.
The Abu Dhabi Healthcare Cyberlearning Programme is a part of “AAMEN” programme that was launched last November to evaluate healthcare facilities for their compliance with information security standards. The ‘AAMEN’ programme seeks to provide the support needed to achieve world-class patient data privacy while securing the confidentiality of health information in its different forms, reviewing accuracy and ensuring accessibility at all times.
