Five centres to come up for specialised medical services

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Five centres to come up for specialised medical services
Currently, the Dubai Health Authority has six specialised healthcare service centres.

Dubai - Currently, the DHA's specialised healthcare services sector includes six specialised healthcare centres.

by

Asma Ali Zain

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Published: Thu 20 Dec 2018, 8:17 PM

Last updated: Thu 20 Dec 2018, 10:21 PM

Five new specialty centres will be opened to meet the growing demand for specialised health services in Dubai, according to the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). These include two dialysis centres, long-term patient health facility, new fertility centre, complementary medicine centre as well as introduction of an inpatient facility at the Dubai Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre.
Currently, the DHA's specialised healthcare services sector includes six specialised healthcare centres: Thalassaemia Centre, Dubai Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre, Dubai Cord and Blood Research Centre, Dubai Diabetes Centre, Dubai Gynaecology and Fertility Centre and the Complimentary Centre.
Two dialysis centres
An organ transplant centre will also be set up in Dubai soon that will also carry out kidney transplants, said Dr Ahmed bin Kalban, CEO of specialised healthcare services sector at the DHA without giving much details. "We are also working on establishing two dialysis centres in Al Barsha and Al Twar," he said.
"The Barsha dialysis centre is expected to be completed in 2019 and 25 per cent of the construction work is completed. It will operate in two shifts and have 60 beds covering around 120 patients a day," he added.
The Twar Dialysis Centre is expected to be completed by end of 2020 and will be home to 30 to 40 beds, working on two shifts. "Currently, Dubai Hospital (50 beds) is carrying out dialysis and will continue to do so in acute or chronic cases," added Dr Kalban.
Long-term patient health facility
This is going to be a facility for long-term patients to the centre in Mamzar area so as to free bed space in hospitals. "The DHA aims to transfer long-term patients who have been hospitalised for more than three months and are dependant on ventilators, from Dubai, Rashid, Hatta and Latifa Hospitals to the new centre," he said. This centre is currently under construction.
New fertility centre
The new Dubai Gynaecology and Fertility Centre building will open by mid-2020. The new centre, which will be located on the grounds of Latifa Hospital for Women and Children, will introduce new services such as ovarian tissue freezing, oocyte invitro maturation, micro TESE (testicular epididymal sperm exploration) and fertility-related research activities.
The centre, which will include a ground floor and a first floor, will be spread across 7,500 square metres and contains 155 parking spots for visitors and employees. The centre will include six specialised outpatient clinics and support services including three radiology rooms, consultation rooms, a modern pharmacy and a phlebotomy lab.
It will also include two specialised surgery rooms for invitro fertilisation (IVF) procedures such as oocyte retrieval and embryo transfers as well as a specialised embryology lab (to provide freezing services, genetic services, etc) and a research lab that supports fertility related studies will also be part of the new structure.
The new centre will meet the increasing demand on the Dubai Gynaecology and Fertility Centre, which receives around 2,300 to 2,600 couples annually and has a pregnancy success rate of 64 per cent in 2018, which is higher than the international standard rate.
Since its inception, it has received around 22,600 families, out of which 56 per cent are UAE nationals and 44 per cent are expats and medical tourists. Till November 2017, 4,618 babies have been born as an outcome of treatment provided by the centre.
Complementary Medicine Centre
By next year, services at the centre will be expanded to include cupping (Hijama) treatments. A complementary medicine centre was established in Rashid Hospital in 2002, and it includes services such as Ozone clinic and Bio resonance clinic). In 2008, the Metatron clinic was added.
"We are working on developing a comprehensive strategy for complementary medicine by adopting a research-based methodology and to take part in research specialising in complementary medicine such as ozone therapy," said Dr Kalban.
According to the centre's statistics, the total number of patients who attended each clinic from the beginning of the year until end of October was 2,972 patients in Ozone, 469 patients in Metatron and 1,001 patients in Bio Resonance. "We are also working on introducing insurance for complementary medicine in the near future," he said.
Dubai Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre
"We are planning to introduce a 30-bed inpatient facility at the Dubai Physiotherapy Centre in the first quarter of 2019. We have collaborated with international specialised centres to develop this service," said Dr Kalban. "Patients will be able to stay in the facility for a week up to four months depending on their case and given that they meet the admission criteria."
The centre's main services include interdisciplinary team consultation, physical medicine and rehabilitation, nursing, physiotherapy (adult/paediatric, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, hydrotherapy, orthotics, social care, psychological care and clinical nutrition. "We have started in-patient services at the centre before two months," said Dr Kalban.
Most patients are trauma or stroke patients who need long-term care for between four to six months. Currently, the centre has 13 beds and by six months it will run on full capacity with 30 beds. "We are using smart solutions and robotic machines for patients," he added.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com


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