- Building Readiness and Medical Response.
- Abu Dhabi hosts the National Conference on Burns with the participation of 200 frontline healthcare workers.
- Winners of the UAE Burns Award Honored.
Abu Dhabi, UAE: The activities of the National Conference on Burns commenced in conjunction with the second Abu Dhabi Burns Conference in its second edition, with the participation of 200 frontline workers from various healthcare institutions across the country. The event was organized by the UAE Burns Council, the UAE National Program for Readiness and Medical Response (“Jaheziya”), SEHA, the National Training Company “Tadreeb,” and hosted by Fatima College of Health Sciences. It was accredited by the European Burns Association and supervised by UAE medical reserve and volunteer teams, alongside Emirati physicians from the Young Medical Leaders Program.
The conference aimed to develop the burns care system in the UAE, enhance the skills of specialized medical staff in diagnosing and treating burns, and improve surgical and therapeutic services in both public and private hospitals, unifying training standards according to the best international practices.
The event highlighted innovative national initiatives of the “Jaheziya” program, which have advanced specialized medical training and strengthened the readiness of civilian, police, and military healthcare institutions. These initiatives helped train thousands of frontline responders through a unified, internationally recognized curriculum.
The opening ceremony was attended by Professor Lisa Bright, Director of Fatima College of Health Sciences; Dr. Adel Al Shameri, CEO of the Zayed Giving Initiative and Head of UAE Doctors; Professor Wayne Klintjes, President of the South African Burns Society; an American expert from the U.S. Association of Emergency Technicians; Professor Gamal Abbas, Head of the Egyptian Resuscitation Council; and representatives from governmental, private, and nonprofit institutions.
During the ceremony, the UAE Burns Council’s key achievements were showcased, including:
- The National Training Program for Burns
- The National Burns Academy
- The Mobile National Burns Center for community awareness
- The UAE Mobile Burns Hospital
- Reserve Medical Teams specialized in burns
Additionally, the UAE declared the first week of September as the National Burns Week—an innovative model of collaboration between government, private, and nonprofit sectors to launch impactful health, economic, and social initiatives.
The conference also announced the winners of the UAE Burns Award and Medal, granted to burn units, national medical teams, and frontline workers from hospitals, military health institutions, and civil defense. Among them was the Burns Center at Sheikh Khalifa Hospital in Fujairah, recognized for establishing the first internationally accredited disaster medicine center in the northern region, with a 15-bed facility including ICU and surgical units. Dr. Jassem Al Shmeili, Emirati burns surgeon and emergency consultant at the Ministry of Defense, and Dr. Aisha Al Yamahi, Emirati infectious diseases consultant, were honored along with several international experts and institutions.
The event featured lectures, workshops, training courses, and simulated exercises aimed at advancing burns treatment, exploring new preventive measures, and keeping pace with global medical developments. The Burns Medicine Academy (an initiative of SEHA and Jaheziya), in partnership with the National Program for Burns Medicine and the National Academy for Training and Medical Research, provided internationally accredited training.
Speakers emphasized the importance of unified national standards, modern burns treatment methods—including surgical laser therapy, psychological care, antibiotic usage, skin grafting, and reconstructive surgery—as well as awareness campaigns to reduce harmful first-aid practices and encourage correct responses at home before emergency services arrive.
Professor Wayne Klintjes praised the Sheikh Khalifa Hospital’s burns center for its state-of-the-art facilities, 15 ICU beds, specialized operating rooms, advanced skin grafting techniques, and a multidisciplinary burns team delivering high-quality care. He highlighted its recognition as a Center of Excellence for Burns Treatment.
Workshops also included hands-on training using a mobile burns hospital and a virtual disaster city, preparing doctors from various specialties to treat burn injuries according to international best practices.
Experts from the U.S., Egypt, South Africa, the UAE, and the UK emphasized the role of the conference in fostering knowledge exchange, medical education, and global collaboration to advance burn care standards.
