Abu Dhabi: For pregnant women, the long wait in a hospital ER before being referred to a specialist is a painstaking experience. At two hospitals in the capital, this duration will be significantly reduced with the introduction of dedicated maternity assessment units.
The units at Al Mafraq Hospital and Al Rahba Hospital will cater specifically to women who are more than five months pregnant. They will be especially beneficial for women with high-risk pregnancies, especially as the percentage of such cases is increasing every year, Dr Karim Al Masry, chair of obstetrics and gynaecology at the hospitals, told Gulf News on Sunday.
“In 2013, 55 per cent of the deliveries at the hospitals were from high-risk pregnancies. Unfortunately, due to the high rate of diabetes and obesity in the UAE, this percentage is set to grow,” Dr Al Masry said.
“The maternity assessment units will therefore ensure that women in the second half of their pregnancies do not have to wait in the ER, and then be referred by the ER doctor to an obstetrician. Instead, these women will be seen directly by obstetricians,” he added.
Al Mafraq and Al Rahba Hospitals are both public facilities and they see a great volume of pregnant women between them. Last year, Al Mafraq witnessed 2,616 deliveries, and 1,448 or 55 per cent of them were from high-risk pregnancies, compared to just 42 per cent high-risk deliveries in 2011. At Al Rahba, there were 1,720 deliveries in 2013, and 40 per cent of them pertained to high-risk cases.
Dr Al Masry said women with diabetes, obesity or hypertension are considered high-risk pregnancies because they face a greater chance of developing pre-eclampsia, which can lead to seizures during pregnancy if left untreated. In addition, women with more than five pregnancies are also considered to be at risk.
“Unfortunately, during their pregnancies, women do not follow up with their obstetricians regularly, or see different obstetricians every time and get inconsistent care. These practices also increase pregnancy risk. The new assessment units will cater to such cases much more efficiently than if the women had to visit the emergency unit first,” he said.
Each hospital expects to see about 15 women a day at the new units, who will be assessed within two hours and either admitted to the hospital or sent home with any required treatments.
The facility has already been running at Al Mafraq since February 2, and will be inaugurated in Al Rahba on March 15.
