Dubai: The UAE’s first ever specialised children’s medical facility, The Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital, opened its outpatient and support services in August and has seen a steady stream of child patients and adolescents.
The services include a comprehensive schedule of outpatient clinics and support services covering paediatric specialities and subspecialoties.
The Outpatient Department (OPD) operates five days a week, from Sunday to Thursday, and is open from 7.30am to 2.30pm.
The state-of-the-art hospital will encompass six dedicated centres of excellence: Heart Centre, Neurosciences Centre, Kidney Centre, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Critical Care Centre and a Cancer and Blood Disorders Centre.
The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre is unique to Al Jalila Children’s Hospital and a first in the region. A multidisciplinary team of top professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, mental health nurses and other specialists, will support children, adolescents and their families in the complex care environment of mental disorders.
Dr Raja Eisa Al Gurg, chairperson of the board of directors of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “At Al Jalila Children’s Hospital we intend to not only provide health care for our paediatric patients, but also offer life care to our patients and their families, enabling them to coexist in society as peers, retaining the essence of their childhood and familyhood. Dedicated exclusively to the treatment of children and adolescents, the facility is set to become a trusted partner to children and their families, not only for the duration of their treatment, but throughout their life journey. “
Dr Abdul Kareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “Al Jalila Children’s exemplifies our pursuit to expand and enhance medical services, medical technology, education and research in the UAE. Not only will the hospital cater to the well-being of sick children, it will promote advancement in clinical care that will help generations to come and support our vision to be at the centre of medical innovation, worldwide.”
Elaborating on the facilities and services at Al Jalila Children’s, Dr Moza Ajaif Al Zaabi, CEO of the hospital, said: “We wanted to create an environment that removes any negative connotations children and adolescents may associate with hospitals and allow them to be what they are. The fact that our patients require treatment or complex care many times does not mean that they have to be deprived of childhood or a loving relationship with their families.”
