Saudi Arabia will unveil the largest healthcare technology project of its kind in the GCC at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference which begins in Dubai on Sunday.

The five year project is aimed at transforming the healthcare delivery in Saudi Arabia, said a top official ahead of the 'HIMSS Middle East 2010 Conference.'

Dr Mohammed R. Alyemeni, advisor to the Minister of Health & General Supervisor of ICT will elaborate on the Kingdom's plan to digitally integrate over 300 Saudi hospitals during his speech at the three-day event.

Saudi Arabia’s eHealth / ICT vision encompasses not only the interoperable electronic health records (EHR) which are the foundational systems that many nations are pursuing, but includes essential elements addressing quality of care, cost containment, and health system management and research needs, he said.

'Our ambitious plans will build on the pioneering eHealth advancements from many developed countries, and enable the Kingdom to provide a new generation of health care services to meet the accelerating expectations of its residents,' said Dr Alyemeni.

'Key to our success is to understand where other nations have failed and how we can avoid these costly errors,' he added.

Three unique conferences comprise HIMSS Middle East including: HIMSS Middle East Health IT Leadership Summit, Health IT Management Conference and The Health Insurers Innovation Forum.

Health IT Leadership Summit is a gathering of the CEOs, Hospital IT directors and governmental leaders of healthcare organizations throughout the region.

Health IT Management Conference brings global best practices to the users and implementers of technology.

Health Insurers Innovation Forum, held in collaboration with MedicaIQ, will showcase the greatest innovations in the global health insurance industry and tools for consumer driven healthcare and medicine.

It will also provide a first ever look at the health insurance industry through the lens of the healthcare technologist and leading global innovators.

The HIMSS is a comprehensive healthcare-stakeholder membership organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare.

Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., Brussels, Singapore, and other locations across the US, HIMSS represents more than 23,000 individual members, of which 73 per cent work in patient care delivery settings.-TradeArabia News Service