Abu Dhabi: Residents can now avail of advanced medical care in the capital for cardiovascular and respiratory concerns as Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi opened two more of its medical departments on Sunday (today).
In a statement, the clinic announced the opening of its Heart and Vascular Institute, as well as its Respiratory and Critical Care Institute. These units are two of the five Centres of Excellence at the hospital, which offer multidisciplinary care to patients in a range of complex medical fields. Many UAE residents currently travel abroad to obtain treatment for these critical medical concerns, including cardiovascular diseases, the topmost killer in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. In fact, heart and vascular-related illnesses led to 36.7 per cent of all deaths in 2013, as reported by the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (Haad).
Dr Tomislav Mihaljevic, chief of the Heart and Vascular Institute, said that the clinic in Abu Dhabi hopes to provide the same level of care as its parent facility in the United States.
The Haad’s latest statistics also show that respiratory infections are the second most common life-threatening condition, and results in loss of worker productivity and quality of life. Dr Jeffrey Chapman, chief of respiratory and critical care, said the institute will therefore work to provide highly specialised treatment for patients with lung and breathing disorders.
The other three Centres of Excellence at Cleveland Clinic, a medical facility by investment and development company Mubadala, are already open, and include the Eye Institute, the Neurological Institute and the Digestive Diseases Institute.
The emergency medicine department at the hospital is expected to begin operations by the end of May.
The 364-bed hospital will offer 30 medical specialities when fully functional, and boast 175 physicians as well as 1,000 nurses and allied health professionals.
Hospital executives earlier told Gulf News that close to 2,500 appointments had already been booked at the clinic since it began introducing its services in March. Currently, the facility accepts only Emirati patients, who have access to Thiqa insurance, as well as expats who are covered under certain enhanced insurance plans provided by The National Health Insurance Company (Daman).
Officials had said earlier that outside of its Eye Institute, the clinic will only provide care to patients over 14 years of age. In addition, it will not offer treatment for orthopaedic, obstetrics and gynaecology, or function as a trauma centre.
