DHA head inaugurates expansion of High Hopes Therapy Center and affirms authority's commitment to people of determination on Rare Disease Day

H.E. Awad Saghir Al Ketbi, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority, affirmed the DHA’s focus on diversifying medical specialties, especially for rare conditions that have become an important focus for the health sector in Dubai, and an important attraction for those seeking advanced treatment and quality medical care from inside and outside the country.

Al Ketbi highlighted this focus as he inaugurated a major expansion of High Hopes Pediatric Therapy Center, Dubai’s fully integrated facility for children with moderate to complex special needs, in the presence of H.E. Dr. Mohammad Salim al Olama, undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, and Lynn Barghout Jafar, Founder of High Hopes. The expansion of High Hopes will double the center’s capacity, allowing for an additional 400 treatment sessions per week and an additional 100 children.

After inaugurating the expansion and inspecting its facilities and equipment, Al Ketbi learned about new treatment methods at the center and highlighted that the DHA intends to enable the establishment of specialized and integrated facilities and is always seeking to support people of determination with comprehensive, high-level care, and high-quality medical services that meet their needs and deliver on Dubai's commitment as a global city that is friendly to people of determination.

H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Olama, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, said: "We are very pleased to launch the new expansion of the center to enhance support for children of determination and their families throughout the UAE and the region. The UAE affirms its solidarity with all those who suffer from rare diseases, and proud to promising devote considerable resources to the field of genetic sequencing and advanced care in order to develop scientific research and support patients and injured.”

“We are honored to have had H.E. Al Ketbi inaugurate these new facilities, which will allow High Hopes to provide more services to more members of the community seeking therapy and support for their super special ones,” said Lynn Barghout Jafar, Founding Mum of High Hopes Pediatric Therapy Center. “High Hopes has promised to keep delivering the best in the world for its families, and is committed to maintaining a community to work together with families and help our children reach their full potential. This expansion highlights our continued commitment to this cause to allow us to serve more super special kids in the community and even region.”

High Hopes’ expansion, located adjacent to its existing center in Safa 1, includes seven brand new therapy rooms including a large soft gym, a brand new playground with adaptive equipment chosen specifically for the needs of the special kids as well as tracks for Gait Training. Equally important, the expansion also houses the ground-breaking TREXO Robotics Device, the only device of its kind in the region, which enables non-mobile children to walk independently and to train.

High Hopes Pediatric Therapy Center has served as a one-stop resource for parents with special needs children up to age 14 for six years. The center comprises specialized and highly-trained pediatric therapists with extensive experience working with children with moderate to complex needs, and caters for neurodevelopmental disorders, neuromuscular diagnoses (cerebral palsy, dystonia, etc.), genetic disorders, abnormal muscle tone, sensory processing difficulties, delayed developmental milestones, fine motor/visual motor deficits and self-care difficulties.