Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi has won the bid to host the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Medical Teams Global Meeting’s (EMT) sixth edition. The announcement was made by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH).
The event, which is scheduled for November 2024, will serve to further cement Abu Dhabi’s standing as a global center for emergency treatment and a frontrunner in the medical field. The first five international gatherings were held in Geneva, Yerevan, Bangkok, Panama, and Hong Kong.
In the run-up to the event, the Department of Health set up four specialized emergency medicine teams in Abu Dhabi to oversee operations related to trauma injuries, infectious diseases, managing hazardous materials, mental health hotline support, and sterilization. In addition to meetings of the EMT regional groups, the EMT meetings will feature high-level roundtable talks with representatives from the World Health Organization and national leaders.
The topics of the meeting will include research, capacity building, standard setting, and emergency operations. A variety of EMTs will also have the chance to showcase and discuss ideas and projects that have improved emergency medicine.
Under the leadership of the EMT Strategic Advisory Group of the World Health Organization (WHO), the EMT Global Meeting 2024 will convene with more than 1,200 participants from over 110 countries and organizations. The event will provide the network an opportunity to define the milestones for a longer EMT strategy—EMT 2030. The main goal of EMT 2030 strategy will be to identify milestone that strengthen National EMT capacities as part of the global health emergency preparedness, response and resilience (HEPR) architecture.
Dr. Saleh Fares Al Ali, Executive Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response Center (CEPAR) at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), said that, “Under the directives of the UAE’s wise leadership, Abu Dhabi continues to engrave its healthcare stamp on the global map. It is an honor to be able to host the EMT global meeting in Abu Dhabi next year, which demonstrates the emirate’s growth as a leading emergency medicine destination. Through our commitment to forging strategic emergency medicine initiatives and partnerships, we have positioned Abu Dhabi as an innovation hub for healthcare across different disciplines.”
“The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi remains focused on working with the relevant stakeholders both regionally and globally to ensure the agility of the sector and preparedness of the national healthcare system to respond to rising emergencies through constantly deploying breakthrough technologies, upskilling the workforce and foreseeing rising challenges. Recognizing the emirate’s advanced emergency medicine capabilities, we promise our partners a valuable edition of the EMT global meetings in 2024,” Dr. Al Ali added.
Through the coordination of the deployment of quality-assured medical teams in times of emergency, the WHO Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) Initiative supports organizations and member states in strengthening their health systems and building capacity.