According to an article in one UAE newspaper, The National, two thirds of the medical facilities in Abu Dhabi FAILED their health inspections last year!
The Health Authority - Abu Dhabi (HAAD) director, Dr. Khalid Fulad, seems to blame this on the "diverse backgrounds" of the workers. Apparently this was most common in smaller clinics since the larger facilities can employ "higher caliber" workers.
Circumstances leading to failure included:
- Doctors saving syringes to use on the same patient on their next visit. Dr. Fulad: "Perhaps that doctor came from a country where there were a lack of syringes. We have to educate these people."
- A lack of medical record-keeping. Doctors complain they don't have enough time...maybe they need a scribe! (that was for my ES peeps)
- Lab techs working on blood and urine specimens with bare hands
- Dentists reusing ampules on different patients
- Equipment being stored in unhygienic conditions, including next to toxic chemicals, and not being properly sterilized.
- A general practitioner serving as an OB/GYN
- A receptionist working as a nurse
HAAD is offering a series of workshops for the healthcare industry, and is "concentrating more on education than enforcement."
Um, how about doing both since people are going to keep coming to these places in the meantime!
Without introducing politics into my opinion, I'll have to say that I'm grateful to be an American. Even in this country of high wages and beautiful scenery, you might get the same syringe they used on you last month.
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