Ministry of Health signs MoUs with private healthcare facilities

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has signed memoranda of understanding with five private healthcare facilities, including Thumbay Group Hospitals, University Hospital, Ajman Hospital, Fujairah Hospital, Amina Hospital, and Dar Al Kamal Hospital.

The agreements were concluded as part of efforts to strengthen national health security and build a resilient response system capable of addressing future challenges. They aim to reinforce an integrated system between the public and private sectors in managing exceptional and emergency cases, ensuring the continuity of healthcare services in line with the highest standards of quality and efficiency under a unified national framework for preparedness and response.

The signing ceremony was attended by Dr Amin Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Health Regulation Sector, while the agreements were signed on behalf of the Ministry by Dr Abdul Karim Abdullah Al Zarouni, Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Advisor.

Under the memoranda, the Ministry will directly oversee the development and regular updating of emergency medical response plans for participating hospitals, including medical evacuation protocols and business continuity strategies to ensure the effective delivery of essential services during emergencies.

The Ministry will also update risk registers for each facility and engage their personnel in simulation exercises and specialized training programs.

For their part, the participating healthcare facilities have committed to mobilizing their logistical and medical capabilities in support of the national system. This includes allocating 30% of their bed capacity to be placed at the disposal of the Ministry’s operations centre upon request, maintaining a strategic stockpile of essential medicines and supplies for no less than 2 months, and establishing dedicated, fully equipped control rooms to ensure continuous coordination with the Ministry’s operations centre.

Dr. Abdul Karim Abdullah Al Zarouni said that these memoranda mark a significant shift in the UAE’s health emergency management strategy, moving from general coordination to an effective operational partnership that unifies standards and protocols between the public and private sectors.

Al Zarouni noted that private healthcare facilities have become a key partner in the national health security system and that the agreements aim to establish a flexible response network capable of rapidly scaling capacity and managing different scenarios with high efficiency, ensuring the health system remains in a state of maximum readiness under unified central oversight.

Dr Al Zarouni added that this collaboration is built on the integration of human and technological resources. The memoranda include clear commitments to digital integration through the “Jahiz” and “Mawardna” platforms to ensure real-time data flow, supporting faster, evidence-based decision-making.

He explained that continued investment in training, joint simulation exercises, strategic medical stockpiles, and connected command centres directly enhances institutional and community readiness. The Ministry, he said, will continue to provide technical and supervisory support to its private sector partners to ensure the highest levels of preparedness to address health emergencies.

On the technical integration front, the memoranda require healthcare facilities to regularly update their medical resource data through approved digital platforms while complying with Cabinet decisions governing the publication and exchange of health information related to communicable diseases. They also mandate strict confidentiality of shared data to ensure the accuracy and integrity of official communication during emergencies.

For their part, officials from private healthcare facilities stressed their commitment to supporting the Ministry’s efforts to strengthen health security and enhance the efficiency of the national system in addressing emergency challenges through a proactive and integrated approach.

They affirmed that integration with the public sector reinforces shared social responsibility and helps unify preventive and treatment efforts under a single framework, ensuring business continuity and community protection, while underscoring the UAE’s leadership in setting global standards for preparedness and flexible response to health crises at all levels.