Enhancing the quality of public healthcare services and making health policy decisions to address the population’s changing healthcare needs are among the priority areas for any country, including the UAE. Being a healthcare employee in the government sector, I am committed to supporting any endeavors anticipated to improve healthcare consumers’ experiences and access to care services and programs. From my perspective, in today’s situation with national health, both public policy literacy and relevant leadership skills have become more important for ambitious professionals in the healthcare system. In this paper, I will explain my interest in studying public policy at Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) and summarize the program’s potential positive influences on my current workplace activities and career prospects.
As a government sector employee, I have gradually developed a genuine interest in regulatory systems and how they influence everyday life and funding priorities to maximize well-being through the effective distribution of public services. Having an M.D. degree recognized by the Arab Board of Health Specializations, I have been working for Al Mankhool Health Center, a government hospital in Dubai, for the last eleven years. As a family medicine consultant, I communicate with diverse patient populations extensively, which creates an awareness of Dubai citizens’ basic health concerns and the form of support they expect from public healthcare institutions. Years of experience with patients have provided me with ideas regarding health promotion in vulnerable populations. Unfortunately, I may lack relevant knowledge and tools to transform my takeaways into viable proposals that could capture relevant organizations’ attention. This is why I consider public policy studies a field of interest.
A master’s degree in public policy would support me in meeting my current professional obligations by enhancing my policy research skills which might be beneficial when providing patients with informational support. Family medicine consultants’ responsibilities are not limited to care and treatment interventions and conducting health checks and screenings, and these professionals may be required to offer comprehensive family planning advice as well. I am convinced that a degree from the abovementioned educational institution would enable me to take the quality of consultation services I provide to the next level. I would achieve this by supplementing reproductive education advice with a detailed explanation of the state’s policies and strategies to support pregnant women and new mothers that are widows, have been abandoned by husbands, or are married to men that cannot provide for the family for some reasons, including disability. The practice of recognizing the patient’s uniqueness in terms of socio-demographic factors and using this knowledge for individual consultations can support the UAE healthcare system’s further improvement in terms of patient-centeredness (Bodolica & Spraggon, 2019). Considering this, public policy knowledge will enhance my patient education activities.
In terms of potential career development opportunities, by fostering substantial policy analysis skills in students, the program of interest can support me in advocating for patients’ health and rights in new ways. Specifically, the course will enable me to understand the roles of key stakeholders and interest groups participating in processes related to health policy development at three levels of government (Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, 2021). I firmly believe that this vector in knowledge development will enable me to acquire the leadership assets necessary for getting involved in health policy processes at the local level to raise the health system’s awareness of my clients’ recurring issues and unmet needs. As a practitioner, I notice multiple similarities between families in terms of knowledge gaps and repetitive patterns in health-related concerns, including infectious disease prevention and child health, so new knowledge on the policy-making process would enable me to explore new roles as a leader and a patient advocate. Considering this, a public policy degree from MBRSG would support my progress as a leader.
Another aspect of career progression that fuels my determination to enroll in the program refers to the opportunity to contribute to the healthcare field and my current workplace by promoting the highest standards of ethics in care delivery, including staff education endeavors. Aside from the anatomy and mechanics of policy development in the healthcare field, the MPP program emphasizes the ethical underpinnings of health regulations that must inform service delivery, for instance, non-discrimination, beneficence, justice, and patients’ decision-making autonomy (MBRSG, 2021). My new roles might include participation in the development of staff training materials and the delivery of ethics and policy education to new staff members, especially recent graduates that do not have vast experience with real-life cases and may be unaware of hidden ethical issues. Thus, new knowledge peculiar to the amalgamation of medical ethics and policy-making would support me in taking on new professional roles.
In summary, the MMP program will provide me with the necessary tools to effectively advocate for patients’ rights, promote ethical excellence in the workplace, and educate patients on government support measures. By enhancing students’ understanding of the state’s policy-making functions and related processes, this program will become a critical professional development opportunity. On a final note, I hope that public policy knowledge will elicit my full potential in promoting public health in Dubai.
References
Bodolica, V., & Spraggon, M. (2019). Toward patient-centered care and inclusive health-care governance: A review of patient empowerment in the UAE. Public Health, 169, 114–124. Web.
Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government. (2021). Academic programs: Master of public policy (MPP). Web.