H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai has chaired the Strategic Affairs Council meeting in Dubai, where the council's board discussed a number of agenda items related to various sectors in the emirate.

During the meeting, the council discussed healthcare sector investment strategy, which was reviewed by the Dubai Health Authority. The strategy focuses on the investment opportunities in the healthcare sector to provide medical care, according to global best practices, while attracting investors to contribute to the development of health services in primary care, chronic diseases, and centres of excellence for the treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, rehabilitation, and physiotherapy, among others.

H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed affirmed that in accordance with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and follow up of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, the Government of Dubai pays a great deal of attention to the healthcare sector, and seeks to provide optimal health services to all of the nation's citizens and residents alike, at an affordable cost to all.

He said that Dubai has achieved a number of qualitative accomplishments in the development of its health care system due to the availability of infrastructure resources, the human resources potential, and the ambitious plans to improve the health care sector in the emirate.

"Our aim is to attract investments that benefit the emirate and the community via an investment strategy in the health sector in line with the emirate's aspirations to provide a healthy global model that also meets with the objectives of the Dubai Plan 2021," Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed continued.

The meeting agenda covered a number of issues, where the Department of Economic Development reviewed the economic growth forecast for the Emirate of Dubai for the years 2017-2019, relaying information on the emirate's investment climate for the coming period, as well as review the performance of the economic sectors under the application of Value Added Tax, VAT. The Supreme Council of Energy reviewed the Integrated Water Strategy, which aims to develop a number of programmes and initiatives to reduce water consumption and optimise the use of this resource until 2030 by promoting the use of treated water.

This is the first meeting held by the council's board following the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to form the Strategic Affairs Council in place of the sectoral committees to support the Dubai Executive Council.

Following the decision to form the council, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, issued a resolution to set up the board, appointing H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as Chairman of the Strategic Affairs Council; H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chief Executive of Emirates Group, as Second Deputy Chairman of the council; and the membership of Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, Director-General of His Highness the Ruler of Dubai's Court; Humaid Mohammed Obaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board of the Dubai Health Authority; Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police; Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Roads and Transport Authority; Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality; Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Managing Director and CEO of DEWA; Abdulrahman Saleh Al Saleh, Director-General of the Dubai Department of Finance; Sami Al Qamzi, Director-General of Dubai Economic Department, and Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary-General of the Dubai Executive Council.