The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has launched the E-public health system “SPHERE”, an e-platform for epidemiological surveillance and management that can be used or linked at the state level.
The new system, which is one of the most important integrated projects based on the latest technologies, came as part of MoHAP’s participation in Arab Health 2022, held from 24th to 27th January in Dubai.
The ministry aims to create an integrated system for early monitoring, follow-up, and management of public health events, as well as strengthen ties with the government and private health sectors and other stakeholders. SPHERE is a unified national database that facilitates disease prevention by sharing and exchanging information locally, regionally, and globally, hence bolstering the UAE’s competitiveness in health indicators.
SPHERE is intended to play a key role in disease surveillance to provide a quick response to communicable diseases. The new system supports research that helps determine the basis and standards for the development of public health policies and strategies, in addition to monitoring data and information to evaluate the burden of health risks, prioritize public health actions, and monitor the impact of control measures.
Mr. Abdullah Ahli, Acting Assistant Under-Secretary for the Support Services Sector, said the project is essential as part of the Ministry’s preventive and proactive health strategy, which was developed in collaboration with local health authorities. Mr. Ahli stated that the ministry’s commitment to attracting and developing the latest electronic and smart systems as one of the most important lessons learned and agreed upon by world countries.
Abdullah Ahli Acting Assistant Under-Secretary Support Services Sector – MoHAP
“A global challenge like the current pandemic can never be faced without utilizing technologies, and data is an important basis for fighting future epidemics. While pandemics are moving and spreading quickly like what we’ve seen with COVID-19, data can move even faster, providing us tools to manage community response during epidemics.”
The new platform targets all concerned health cadres in government and private health institutions, mentioning that any private facility that wants to create an account on the platform can send a request to Public Health Center in the concerned emirate or to SPHERE platform email. The platform also includes the reporting of communicable diseases, pathological syndromes, chemical poisoning cases, injuries, and vaccination records.
