Dubai - United Arab Emirates, March 25th 2015: H.E. Eng. Essa Al Maidoor, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority inaugurated today the 2nd International Family Medicine Conference and Exhibition - IFM, which is held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of the Dubai Health Authority.

H.E. Al Maidoor was accompanied by Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani, Executive Chairman of IFM and the Global Family Medicine Alliance and IHF Advisor in the Middle East Region, in addition to Dr. Ibtesam Al Bastaki, Chairperson of the IFM Conference. The Governing Council Members of the International Hospital Federation (IHF) also attended the inauguration headed by Dr. Eric de Roodenbeke, CEO of IHF and a number of International figures from 50 countries.

After the ribbon cutting, H.E. Al Maidoor toured the exhibition and met with more than 60 companies and clinics participating from the UAE and the region. He also extended his support to the promotion of excellent services in all medical and health care facilities, in order to set an example which will be followed on the local, GCC, and regional levels.

Dubai has seen tremendous growth in all areas of healthcare over the past decade. It has also become one of the major hubs for hosting medical conferences and exhibitions and is now one of the main destinations for medical tourism. Thus, the IFM conference and exhibition is a vital platform for professional interaction and scientific discourse amongst healthcare specialists and practitioners to develop healthcare services in medical facilities, to keep up with global developments and to discuss various common diseases.

From his side Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani said: "I am very delighted to see the increase in the number of healthcare and paramedical professionals attending IFM this year. It is a very young endeavor as this is the second edition, however, I can see the interest in this field is getting higher from all facets of medicine. The role of Preventive medicine has increased manifold in the recent years and nowadays family medicine specialists who form the forefront of the healthcare domain, lay a great deal of emphasis on Prevention than the Treatment of aliments."

Dr. Al Madani added; "Health Screenings, Early detection Programs, Vaccinations, Awareness on various communicable diseases, and overall maintenance of a healthy lifestyle have become imperative needs and events such as IFM bring to light the various evolving concepts of medicine, ethics, healthcare standards, role of family medicine and comprehensive health care

"In our attempt to attain the vision of INDEX Holding and develop continuously; INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions through IFM leads; in providing families and the community with diligent care and advanced scientific innovations in Healthcare." Continued Al Madani

The conference agenda this year includes a number of intensive scientific sessions and workshops to improve public health and address non-communicable diseases. IFM hosts 34 professional speakers, and it is expected to attract more than 2,000 visitors and participants. IFM Conference & Exhibition aims at contributing towards the betterment of health by enhancing Family Medicine concepts inclusive of health promotions, prevention and curative programs as well promoting equity in health accessibility and the delivery of health programs efficiently and effectively to the community.

IFM hosts 10 scientific sessions and 42 scientific posters in addition to 3 workshops this year, announced Dr. Ibtesam Al Bastaki, Conference Chairperson. "The three days conference will touch upon pressing topics such as: the Role of Medicine in Medical Tourism, Child Health, Women Health, Chronic Illness, Diabetes, Cardio Vascular Disease, Senior Citizens Common Problem, Geriatric and Rehabilitation, in addition to other chronic diseases." Continued Al Bastaki

Dr. Ibtesam also said: "The International Family Medicine Conference & Exhibition (IFM), is established to create a convenient forum for family physicians and other health care professionals from different sectors of the health care industry. It is a meeting point for knowledge transfer and networking among family physicians, scientist, researchers, paramedical, other professionals, product specialist, decisions makers, trade visitors and academia."

"Family medicine is the medical specialty that provides a comprehensive care to the individual, the family and the community. It covers all medical aspects from different age groups, genders, systems and diseases." Said Dr. Al Bastaki

She continued: "A Family Physician plays a major role in the community by providing continuous care through maintaining health prevention, promotion, curative and rehabilitation. They are the frontline of the healthcare system and present an integrated role between primary, secondary and tertiary health care facilities, thus providing health maintenance and the preventive services to each individual including biological, behavior and social. Indeed they ensure to deliver the best quality of services within the health care industry by building a multidisciplinary setup in a one stop area."

The IFM conference enjoys great support from the Ministry of Health in the UAE as the ministry is providing attendees with 12.5 CME points. It also enjoys the support of the government of Dubai, Dubai Health Authority, the Global Family Medicine and Scientific Alliance, the International Hospital Federation, and the Dubai Sports Council. The IFM now is an elite annual conferences in Dubai attracting the most prominent participants of the health and medical sectors in the region, in addition to being a meeting point for all professionals in the medical sector, administrators, nurses, doctors, social activists, teachers, drug manufacturers, and representatives of the Health sector as well as decision makers and academicians.

© Press Release 2015