Dubai Health Authority (DHA) will start implementing a new system mid next year to monitor medications manufactured in the UAE and overseas from the production line to prescription, a media report said.

The 'track and trace' system will help combat potential counterfeit medication and ensures accuracy and credibility with regards to insurance claims for dispensing medications, reported Emirates news agency Wam, citing a DHA statement.

DHA said it has already started discussions with big manufacturing and supplying pharmaceutical companies to implement the system.

The system will also contribute to improving the management of medication inventory in Dubai and helps avoid any medication shortage.

DHA is the first health authority in the UAE to adopt this system, and it complements the barcoding system the authority adopted in 2017. The track and trace system aims to achieve the highest standards of safety and quality.

Humaid Al Qutami, director-general of the DHA that the authority prioritises pharmaceutical services and so spares no effort in developing pharmaceutical services by adopting the latest technologies and smart systems to ensure the safety and supply of medication as this directly affects the treatment journey of patients and their wellbeing.

Al Qutami highlighted some of the latest smart technologies and systems adopted for pharmaceutical services including the barcode smart system. The DHA was the first in the UAE to adopt the system in 2017, which aims to ensure the safety of patients by giving each medicine a barcode, hence reducing the chances of any mistakes when dispensing medication.

The authority has adopted a smart system that monitors the cold chain of pharmaceuticals to preserve the quality and safety of the medication.

The DHA has also launched a number of smart pharmacies across its facilities for dispensing and prescribing medication.