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28 March 2024

Meet man who has pulse of Dubai in his hands

Published
By Majorie van Leijen and Bindu Suresh Rai

He has the pulse of millions of residents in Dubai. This is why he needs equal amounts of logic and emotion to keep Dubai as an emirate healthy.

Issa Al Maidoor, however, chooses a different word to define what he sees as a “calling to service”.

Asked to describe his new responsibility as Director-General of DHA, Al Maidoor says : "A very noble one.”

Al Maidoor was appointed on November14, 2012.

And then adds, “As a responsibility, it is a very challenging one.”

Despite his long track record in various departments of the Dubai Government and Public Service fields, Al Maidoor sees health as one of the noblest causes one can be involved with.

"Health is directly affecting people. I am very happy to be at this position."

Maidoor has the numbers, the plans, and the strategy at the tip of his fingers, but he espouses a more philosophical approach for this interview, before getting into the nitty-gritty of running the DHA.

"There is a certain value that you have as a human. As a human, emotional connect is important – I believe in building and maintaining relationships.”

As Director-General of the DHA, Maidoor is responsible for overseeing and guiding all policy, regulatory and public health matters in Dubai.

It is an all-encompassing job. One that suits Maidoor, even though, like the many healthcare workers he oversees, he is always on call.

"You cannot be technically involved in every sector, but that is why we have team work. Different teams are specialised in different sectors. For me, I believe you have to feel it. You have to be really involved with what you are doing," says Al Maidoor.

So much for the emotion, now for the logic.

Maidoor trained as an engineer, something he brings to bear in this new role as well.

“I am a very logical person and I firmly believe in the simplification of things as this helps resolve matters quickly and efficiently. Again, this applies to everything in life. I also set parameters and measure those parameters regularly and diligently so see where things stand,” he muses.

Biggest challenge

When asked about the most important challenges the DHA faces this year, Al Maidoor referred to the recruitment of staff in the medical field.

“Recruitment of qualified and trained healthcare professionals is a global challenge and thankfully Dubai is able to attract and retain them. However, keeping in mind the growth of the health sector in Dubai- we will have to ensure that we are able to continue doing so.

“Staffing issues remains one of the biggest challenges we are facing in the health industry today. It’s not facilities, but bringing in quality doctors and nurses to accommodate the increase in demand in medical services,” he said.

According to numbers given by DHA, the emirate currently employs 15,500 professionals across private medical facilities, while 6,000 work in public ones. Al Maidoor adds: “An additional 1,500 beds will be added this year across new facilities being constructed to the already 5,000 we currently have.”

Dubai has 21 private hospitals and four government ones, with 2,229 medical facilities and 1,200 private polyclinics.

The DHA head also reported the government body recorded an growth of 12 per cent last year, with its annual increase “based on the parameters set for the 2020 masterplan,” Al Maidoor said.

Al Maidoor further pointed out that the customer forms another key challenge in 2013. "We want to be involved with the customers from the moment they come in until they go out of the healthcare facility. Public awareness is another challenge DHA wants to focus on."

Man behind the title

Despite the near 24|7 schedule, Maidoor says his downtime is staying healthy.

His lifestyle currently allows various sports, including football and volleyball.

However, the nobility runs through even here and for Maidoor the great traditional sports of Emirati heritage matter most. Hence often, he is out at sea or in the desert sports:  "I like to stay close to my traditions by playing the traditional sports of this country."

Despite his calm and confident manner it is the humility of the man that is most striking.

Always ready to mingle with officials as well as the 'common man', he is easily accessible, willing to listen to any question asked.

When he is not one of the many assignments that his position requires, he can be found on the first floor of DHA's Head Office, behind Rashid Hospital.

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