Dubai – United Arab Emirates, 5 March 2018: Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the 3^rd edition of Dubai International Ambulance Conference and 13^th edition of International Emergency and Catastrophe Management Conference and Exhibition (IECM) started at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre today.

This year, a number of key trending topics in emergency and pre-hospital care were discussed as part of DIAC’s conference agenda, including emergency medical care, pre-hospital care, innovative methods of treatment in emergency situations, use of Artificial Intelligence in the emergency sector and training and equipping paramedics employed in emergency departments to make Dubai, a key global hub for technology services by 2030.

Over the 3 days, DIAC and IECM will witness the participation of 72 companies from 42 countries from the region and abroad and attract over 5000 visitors and participants while also play host to 96 world renowned speakers in the humanitarian field.

On his part, H.E. Khalifa Hassan Al Darrai Executive Director, DCAS, said, “Following the success of the two previous editions of the Dubai International Ambulance Conference, the aim of DIAC this year is to highlight the evolving role of emergency medical personnel in protecting the community against accidents and major risks, while also emphasizing the importance of supporting the emergency teams with new technologies and equipment, that are helpful in saving lives at the pre-hospital level.”

He added, “DIAC and IECM 2018 comes at a time when we are commemorating the 100^th anniversary of our late founding father Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and celebrating this year as the ‘Year of Zayed’, to mark his unique contribution in UAE’s excellence in medical, cultural, economic, humanitarian and social fields. In addition, DIAC and IECM offer us an opportunity to help Dubai’s efforts at hosting Expo 2020 while also training and equipping its staff with well-qualified medical teams and modern equipment in order to ensure the safety of visitors and participants.”

On his part, Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani, Executive Chairman of IECM & DIAC, said, “This year, we have designed a rich agenda for both DIAC and IECM, which includes a number of key trending topics in emergency and pre-hospital care and we hope this will help in improving the knowledge of disaster management professionals. We are likewise confident that DIAC and IECM will help provide an opportunity to paramedics and emergency professionals to meet prominent speakers and specialists representing the public and private sector.”

He added, “On the other hand, the DIAC and IECM exhibitions, running parallel to their respective conferences, will offer exhibiting companies an opportunity to interact with emergency responders and ambulance service providers and develop a clearer understanding about their unique work requirements on the field.”

DIAC and IECM, running until the 7^th of March, is organized by INDEX Conferences & Exhibitions – a member of INDEX Holding, and is supported by Dubai Police, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, and the Emirates Society of Emergency Medicine, and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai.