The 2nd Annual World Health Care Congress Middle East, the premier gathering for sharing top insights and best practices on health care delivery, concluded Tuesday in Abu Dhabi after three days of high-level discussion with nearly 100 presenters from 25 countries spread across five continents.

Produced by World Congress, the WHCC Middle East is organized under the Patronage H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and in sovereign partnership with the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA).

The third and final day of the event featured a special presentation from Chef Osama El Sayed, host of "Ma Osama Atyab” (It’s More Delicious with Osama) - on Dubai TV.

Chef Osama joined the panel "The Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles," which is a key topic in Abu Dhabi and other portions of the Middle East due to high rates of obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases that can be prevented in many cases through adhering to healthier lifestyles. Abu Dhabi is aggressively working to improve the health of its population and developing many new strategies to provide easier access to quality care.

Chef Osama was joined on the panel by Dr. Jamal Al Kaabi, Director, Customer Care and Corporate Communications Division, Health Authority Abu-Dhabi; Dr. Ali Obaidli, Chief Clinical Officer, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, SEHA; Denise Cora-Bramble, MD, Executive Director, Goldberg Center for Community Pediatric Health Children’s National Medical Center.

The 2nd Annual World Health Care Congress addressed all the major issues affecting health care, both in the Middle East and around the world. A diverse roster of health care experts participated in engaging and thought-provoking discussions. Highlights included a dialogue between health authority leaders from the United Arab Emirates, including Zaid Al Siksek, Mr. Al Siksek, CEO Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and Lalia Al Jassami, CEO-Health Policy & Strategy Sector, Dubai Health Authority. Mr. Al Siksek said Abu Dhabi is working to address many of the challenging facing it’s health care system, including proving adequate health care services for a population that is largely transient. Of the 2.5 million residents in the emirate, fewer than 500,000 live here permanently. Mr. Al Siskek said acquiring and retaining adequate medical staff for the local health care industry is also a challenge Abu Dhabi must continue to address.

The conference featured nearly 25 panel discussions that each addressed a unique area of health care delivery. The World Health Innovations Summit addressed the latest in patient-decision making, mHealth technologies and why more innovations are coming from developing countries and emerging markets. Presenters included the Lord Ara Darzi, MD, head of surgery at Imperial College Hospital in the United Kingdom; Victor Dzau, MD, President and CEO, Duke University Medical Center and Health System and Prof. Tan Ser Kiat, Group CEO, Singapore Health Services.

Other findings from the conference included in-depth discussions on patient safety and quality innovation and improvement and a hospital CEO debate on global health care models. Included in the discussion was Mark Harrison, MD, CEO, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Hanan Al Kuwari, Managing Director, Hamad Medical Corporation. The panel was moderated by Jeff Goldsmith, PhD, president, Health Futures, Inc.

A panel on the transfer of health care knowledge and best practices included Suhail Al Ansari, Executive Director, Mubadala Healthcare, Carl Stanifer, CEO, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and Steven Thompson, CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine International.

The World Health Care Congress Middle East will return to Abu Dhabi 9-11 December, 2012. For more information, please visit www.worldcongress.com/me.>

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