Department of Health, Abu Dhabi - Innovative Management in Government
Company: Department of Health, Abu Dhabi
Company Description: Department of health of Abu Dhabi is the regulator and overall responsible organization for healthcare and life science in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. it has two main entities under one chairman, the department of health and the abu dhabi public health center. the organization ensure the care provided for its 3 million population is of the highest caliber and drive the overall healthcare strategy.
Nomination Category: Management Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Award for Innovative Management in Government - Organizations with 100 or More Employees
Nomination Title: HE Abdulla Al Hamed, chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Health and Abu Dhabi Public Health Center
Assuming his leadership role in 2018, the healthcare sector in the emirate has taken great stride in becoming an internationally recognized, a leading example in innovation, quality and efficiency of care.
An example of HE organizational management skills, is his unusual approach to motivating employee to bring the best in them. In late 2018, he identified that aligning with the organization vision need employee to feel that vision at personal level, in order to incorporate it into their meaningful work of achieving “Healthier Abu Dhabi”. So, in a competition that was organized locally on healthy living and walking steps tally between entities, Department of Health was lagging in the lowest quartile, due to lack of interest and leadership. Chairman set himself and willing employees from all level to move not only to top quartile but be number one out of the 25 organization in the league. To achieve that and from his part, he deployed the best of organizational management, from setting role model, daily and monthly targets, enabling processes and infrastructure to changing mindset, capabilities and behavior. Within one month, DoH was top three and then number one till the end of the competition. This approach he deployed across many innovative initiatives and strategies that DoH and healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi achieved from building the innovation ecosystem, to implementing one of the most comprehensive health information exchange (Malaffi), the largest genomic sequencing programme globally, to attracting Mayo Clinic to open their first outside the US campus in Abu Dhabi.
On the financial management side, due to his private sector experience, stakeholders management, attention to details and passion for innovation and technology; he was able to lead teams and sector to achieve challenging fiscal optimisation that led to reduction of cost growth from double digit to be single digit (in line with medical and population growth). This is all while maintaining quality, improving access and sustainable spending, a challenge that not many of the leading healthcare system achieved within 3 years.
On the business recovery side, Through his role, and his empathetic innovative personality he got the best of people in time of crises. He inspired calm, led and worked with all levels to achieve one of the best responses to Covid19 pandemic globally. His vision of where the first outbreak in china was heading, and drive and ability to align on preparing and taking decisive actions early as a healthcare sector and as city was pivotal in ensuring a safe flattened curve, while not having a single lockdown day. This allowed the system in Abu Dhabi not to face what the majority of global healthcare systems faced in terms of shortage in PPEs, beds and manpower coupled with prolonged and multiple lockdowns (Abu Dhabi did not have a single full day lockdown throughout pandemic). He led through the approach of focusing resources on prevention; providing the best treatment if a person get sick and fostering an open culture of collaboration, with science being the single source of truth. This resulted in Abu Dhabi and UAE global lead, that HE Abdulla have been personally leading including the highest number of tests per capita globally, one of the lowest infection and mortality rate, the highest digital teleconsultation and quarantine programme, the largest vaccine clinical trial in one place and the second highest number of vaccinated per capita globally. Another example, is assigning a team from the first day of response, to work independently to build a future AI enabled pandemic response plan, that take into account lessons learnt from challenges happening in response locally, nationally and globally (Abu Dhabi Pandemic Response Manual). Countless lives have been saved from dying or being infected because of HE Abdulla’s visions, drive, stakeholders and people’s management and resilience.