Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi has inaugurated the sixth World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) Global Meeting, bringing together over 1,300 participants from 140 countries. This marks the largest EMT meeting and the first held in the Middle East.
Emergency Medical Teams Global Meeting is organized by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) in collaboration with WHO and the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP). The event will be conducted until 7th November at the Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers.
The meeting’s opening ceremony featured statements from Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, and Dr. Ahmed Abdulhadi Al Khazraji, Acting Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre. Key figures present included Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of DoH, and Dr. Saleh Fares Al Ali, President of the International Federation for Emergency Medicine, and Dr. Abdul Karim Al Zarouni, Director of the Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Centre at MoHAP. Dr. Tedros underlined the role of EMTs as a “vital pillar of the global health emergency corps” in building surge capacity for crises worldwide.
This year’s conference features a flagship panel on “Climate Change and Health Emergency,” mediated by Professor Johanna Hanefeld, and includes Dr. Michael J. Ryan, WHO Deputy Director-General, and Lucie Berger, EU Ambassador to the UAE. Topics include the EMT 2030 Strategy, which focuses on supporting global and regional emergency response capabilities.
Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi mentioned Abu Dhabi’s evolving role in healthcare since its first hospital in 1960, emphasizing its dedication to modern health crisis management. Dr. Mohammed Salim Al Olama, MoHAP Undersecretary, quoted these sentiments, underscoring the UAE’s commitment to a resilient, integrated government system for emergency health responses.
Over the three-day event, 26 exhibitors, including the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority and Humanity First, will showcase innovations in emergency medicine and response technologies. The meeting underscores Abu Dhabi’s increasing role in global health preparedness and crisis response.