Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital (AJCH) on Tuesday.

“Human health comes at the foreword of our priorities and the UAE gives it great attention as part of its strategy to strengthen the capacity of the health-care sector and boost its infrastructure to be able to provide quality services across all medical disciplines,” said Shaikh Mohammad.

The Vice-President called for the need to pay more attention to medical research and studies in order to find effective remedies for the most common diseases and strengthen the capacity of preventive medicine.

Shaikh Mohammad, accompanied by his daughter Shaikha Al Jalila, unveiled a commemorative plaque marking the official opening of the hospital, inspected its various sections and acquainted himself with the high-tech equipment that provides state-of-the-art health-care services to UAE’s children and the region.

He then visited patients in their rooms and spoke with a number of children. Shaikh Mohammad visited the operation room, intensive care, radiology and other sections of the hospital.

Shaikha Jalila expressed her pride in the opening of this new medical facility. “I am overjoyed to see one of my dreams come true. The hospital is a gift for the children of the UAE and nearby countries,” said Shaikha Al Jalila.

The opening was attended by Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, ministers, shaikhs and senior officials.

On December 2, 2008, Shaikh Mohammad announced the establishment of a dedicated 200-bed children’s speciality hospital in Dubai, as there were no dedicated paediatric speciality hospital in the entire GCC region.

Dr Moza Ajaif Al Zaabi, CEO of AJCH, told Gulf News that since the soft opening of the Out Patient Department (OPD) of the hospital, its 16 superspeciality clinics had already begun operation five days a week from 7.30am to 2.30pm and had received over 150 patients for consultation.

“Our vision is to be one of the top 10 paediatric hospitals in the world, which is a vision we will be actively working towards. To this end, we have aligned our in-house expertise [our doctors, nurses and allied health practitioners are hand-picked, world-class professionals] through strategic partnerships with internationally acclaimed institutions in the realms of paediatric health care to offer superior quality medical treatment in one of the best facilities available globally.”

Paediatric and adolescent mental health are areas which had not received much attention but AJCH has a dedicated clinic for it.

Al Zaabi added: “I believe the region had previously lacked strong medical representation in this field. Like all other medical conditions, mental health is crucial to children’s and adolescents’ development and we are eager to assist those children and adolescents in need. The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre is unique to Al Jalila Children’s and a first in the region.”

Altieri, an Italian firm with a 100-year history in designing hospitals all over the world, was contracted for the project. The design quickly won recognition for its futuristic style and eco-friendliness. It was named winner of the Health Award at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona in 2009, out of 210 global entries; and the Hospital Build Award 2011 for Best Sustainable Hospital Project.

Al Jalila Children’s Hospital, equipped with the latest medical technology and located in an eco-friendly building, is well aligned with the aim of Dubai Health Strategy 2021 to revamp the health-care sector of the city and establish Dubai as one of the world’s top medical destinations.

Al Jalila Children’s Hospital is the first dedicated children’s hospital in the UAE. Working under the umbrella of Al Jalila Foundation, The ultra-modern hospital will be the driving force behind tertiary and quaternary care facility in the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity for success in life, and the treatment of children suffering from illness or disease should not be the subject of geographical chance.