Phase-by-phase expansion of Rashid Hospital planned
DUBAI: A new entity, created some ive months back as part of new Dubai Health Authority (DHA) strategies, will be pursuing a phase-by-phase expansion of the 45-year-old Rashid Hospital to become a fully-integrated highly-equipped medical city-cum-research centre of the future.
In a media interview on Monday at the DHA Headquarters, Dubai Health Corporation (DHC) chief executive oficer Dr you ni skazim said the long-term master plan for the future 1,000- bed capacity public hospital, is part of the DHA commitment to improve more and better serve all the health and wellness needs of Dubai’s 3.1 million residents including overseas populations.
Public-private partnerships are endeavoured for this master plan.
Dha-dhc is responsible for over seeing the full integration of all medical services in all the four public hospitals and in the over 30 primary health centres, specialised medical centres including public and occupational medical centres in Dubai.
It is in charge of preventive health measures and the basic health insurance system. Currently at the hospital complex located in Oud Metha is the specialised Trauma Centre operational since 2006 that can handle seven ambulances at any given time and a minimum of 200 patients a day from across the region.
Kazim, a vascular surgeon by profession, said: “The Trauma Centre will be the nucleus of expansion. There are no plans to relocate. But, all available space at its present (site) will be used.”
Part of the hospital complex medical city project is the construction of other ultra modern state-of-the-art special is ed centres and polyclinics, as well as more in-patient/ out-patient and rehabilitation facilities, in accordance with international standards. There will be additional residences for DHA employees, too.
On the specialised centres, Kazim was hopeful that by 2019, the irst-in-the-uae Skin Bank and the new Cardiology Centre would be operational within the hospital complex.
The Skin Bank, that will do all the medical procedures necessary for skin grafting (skin transplantation) from willing or consenting “healthy individuals” to patients such as burn, trauma, accident and cancer victims, has been thoroughly discussed and consulted with medical experts and authorities, particularly from the Islamic Affairs Department on Shari’a rules and regulations.
Kazim said: “This bank will greatly beneit patients. Burn patients with big raw areas are prone to infection, which may cause severe internal organ damage and can lead to death. Covering the raw areas as soon as possible with (the grafted skin) protects the patients and stabilizes their (conditions) so that (they) recover faster with less co-morbidities.”
The skin taken from the willing healthy individual donors such as bariatric surgery patients would be stored in incubators.
On the new Cardiology Centre of Excellence, “the DHA has already taken initial steps to achieve this by collaborating with one of the world’s biggest hospitals in this ield.”
Talks are ongoing with other institutions in the US, UK, Italy and Korea. At the new centre will be all types of heart surgeries and research related to the management of all cardiovascular conditions.
Kazim was hopeful that the Cancer Centre for Excellence at the over 600-bed 35-year-old Dubai Hospital which will house all the pr e-diagnostic/ treatment/ post-treatment/ rehabilitation needs of all oncological patients, will see its irst patients by 2020.
A Dialysis Centre in Mamzar is being eyed.
Talks are ongoing with parties on the basic health insurance plan for all Dubai residents including overseas patients.
Kazim emphasised that in order that health for all would be achieved, all the patients’ needs togo through, cope, re-build their lives and believe in themselves again as worthy members of the society is not limited to the quantity of sessions they are able to meet but involves all the support they need in facing all aspects of their physical, psychological and emotional lives.
“To support the patients enough, their (mental/psychological state) must (also be addressed),” he said.
On the other hand, Kazim expressed hope that patients who have sought appointments with doctors at any of the government hospitals and health facilities in Dubai be responsible in being prompt at their schedules so as not to disrupt the doctors-to-patients attendance low and “inconvenience” everyone.