Nahyan bin Mubarak emphasises UAE's commitment to providing best healthcare and medical education services to the region

The inaugural mental health conference for Maudsley Child and Adolescent International Abu Dhabi (Maudsley CAI Abu Dhabi) was held at the Crowne Plaza Yas Island, Abu Dhabi on Saturday 19 March. The event, hosted by "Maudsley CAI Abu Dhabi" in partnership with the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD), is the first of what will be an annual event aimed at sharing current practice and innovations in child and adolescent mental health.

"Maudsley CAI Abu Dhabi" is a new healthcare centre in the Capital and is run by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in the UK. Since it opened its doors in Autumn 2015, the service has been working to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in the UAE in line with the Health Authority in Abu Dhabi’s (HAAD) priority to develop mental health services for young people across the Emirate.

"Maudsley CAI Abu Dhabi" addresses a wide range of mental health conditions in young people between the ages of 2 years and 18 years including autism spectrum disorders and learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders, anxiety and stress related disorders as well as personality disorders and organic conditions such as psychosis.

Speakers at the conference included his Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, and leading psychiatrists and experts from the Maudsley Hospital in London. This highly specialized conference was attended by pediatricians, family doctors and a number of teachers, schools counselors and academics.

Sheikh Nahyan said: "This is a day for anticipation. This is the day that Maudsley reveals its full talent and raises the hopes of parents in Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates. This is the day when our entire health care community begins to benefit from the expertise that Maudsley has brought to its Center of Excellence that opened last year."

"Maudsley is yet another example of cooperation between Great Britain and the UAE. This entire joint venture has been solidly supported by UK Trade and Investment and by the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi. We should not be surprised by such cooperative success. The President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, has always stressed the importance of international cooperation, notably in the field of health care. Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates spare no effort to ensure the well-being of our population."

Dr Asma Ibrahim Al Mannaei, Director of Strategy, Quality Monitoring, Health Authority Abu Dhabi, said:"We’re here to celebrate an important milestone in improving mental health and wellbeing services in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. We welcome our UK partners and peers at Maudsley’s hospital for the launch of "Maudsley Child and Adolescent International Abu Dhabi Mental Health Conference", in Abu Dhabi."

"When it comes to healthcare prevention and knowledge are crucial. Disease prevention and health promotion are cornerstones of our public health strategy which is designed to ensure that we build a healthier Abu Dhabi"

"We believe that the number of people requiring mental health services in the Emirates is regrettably under-reported. This is precisely why Health Authority – Abu Dhabi has classified mental health as an integral part of its health sector strategy."

Dr Matthew Patrick, Chief Executive South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said: "This annual conference will be an opportunity to share and discuss some of the innovations and treatments first developed at the Maudsley Hospital. It also marks a successful six months since the opening of Maudsley Child and Adolescents International Abu Dhabi."

"We want to apply our specialist and research experience as well as the expertise we have developed treating our diverse local population in south London to improve the lives of children in the UAE. Thank you to HAAD for their support in developing the service and for such a warm welcome to Abu Dhabi."

Dr Khaled Kadry, the Lead Clinician at Maudsley Child and Adolescents International Abu Dhabi, said: "Since our services commenced late last year, our efforts at "Maudsley CAI Abu Dhabi" have been focused both on providing mental health treatment for children and adolescents and also in reaching out and building relationships with key stakeholders who play an important role in recognizing, referring and treating mental health in children and adolescents."

"We look forward to continuing working closely with all partners in the Emirate including HAAD, ADEC, health centers and clinics, educational facilities and many others to ensure we deliver a world class service that promotes the mental health and well-being of children and young people in the UAE,'' he added.

UK Ambassador to the UAE, Mr Philip Parham, closed the conference by saying: "The Maudsley Child and Adolescent International Abu Dhabi" has brought world class specialist child and adolescent mental health services to the UAE. This is another fine example of a successful collaboration between the UK National Health Service (NHS) and the UAE."