CSR and sustainability focus of new category for Arab Health Awards 2013

Sept. 3, 2012 - PRLog -- Dubai, UAE: Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, organisers of the annual Arab Health Exhibition and Congress, has introduced a new category to the upcoming Arab Health Innovation & Achievement Awards – The Sustainable Hospital Award.

This event will also include eight other award categories including Excellence in Laboratory, Excellence in Imaging and Diagnostics, Excellence in Surgery Services, Excellence in Patient Centred Care, Cleveland Clinic Young Clinician, Young Surgeon of the Year, Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation Care, and Outstanding Contribution of an Individual to the Middle East Healthcare Industry.

To enter the awards, professionals involved in the healthcare industry in the Middle East should nominate individuals or organisations that deserve recognition in line with these categories. Nominations can be submitted via the website (www.arabhealthonline.com) and will close on 15 November 2012. The 2013 Arab Health Awards winners will be announced on the 29 January 2013 at a Gala awards dinner in Dubai.

In today´s world, the concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability are gaining increasing popularity among companies and the general public. In the healthcare sector, several hospitals have started to formulate their strategies inspired by the CSR pillars and the triple-bottom-lines. Despites the existence of different forums and organisations that are trying to foster the culture of sustainability and transparency by announcing CSR awards, those awards are not specific to the healthcare sector. Moreover, others such as the Hospital Build Awards that have introduced the concept of sustainability in their award categories for hospitals were focusing on specific projects (designs, environment) rather than the full CSR dimensions.

The main difference between Arab Health’s Sustainable Hospital Award and other similar awards is that it focuses on the responsible practice based on the CSR concept in general. The hospital that wins this award should clearly show its commitment to the four pillars of sustainability - workforce/workplace, patients, environment and community.

“I believed that the newly introduced award category for sustainable hospitals by the Arab Health team this year is an excellent initiative,” says Dr. Mazen Fakeeh, president, Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital, who are headline sponsors of the 2013 Arab health Awards and will be presenting The Sustainable Hospital Award. “I expect this initiative to help foster the culture of sustainability in the healthcare sector and will help hospitals improve their environmental and social performances on a competitive basis.”

Adopting CSR initiatives in a hospital’s daily practice will result in better understanding from the community about the challenges that this sector faces. CSR will also help the healthcare sector elaborate on social issues that could serve to improve their image and enhance stakeholder engagement by making their performance indicators available to public.

The Arab Health Innovation & Achievement Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals, departments, teams or an organisation that have contributed to the growth and development of the Middle East Healthcare Industry. The Awards appreciate, celebrate and reward outstanding institutional and individual achievement in the Arab world.

According to Brian Johnston, chief executive, Australian Council on Healthcare Standards and member for the Arab Health Awards judging panel: “It has been immensely satisfying for me as one of a number of judges for the awards over recent years to note the significant improvement in both the number and quality of the submissions received.  They point to the very strong commitment to quality by organisations in the health care industry in this region of the world and the enthusiasm of health professionals to share knowledge.”

Established 37 years ago, the Arab Health Exhibition and Congress provides a platform for the world’s leading manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors to meet the medical and scientific community in the Middle East and beyond. Arab Health takes place from 28-31 January 2013 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibitions Centre.

For more information about Arab Health Awards, visit www.arabhealthonline.com/awards or call +971 4 407 2738.

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Note to Editors

About Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions:
For more information, please visit www.informalifesciences.com.

About Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital:
For more information, please visit www.drfakeehhospital.com.

For media enquiries please contact:
Inga Stevens
PR and Social Media Manager
Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions
T: +971 4 407 2743
F: +971 4 336 4021
inga.stevens@informa.com