The key is to continue pursuing preventive healthcare

A great hospital should be patient focused, employ highly experienced, skilled and caring clinical and support staff, willing to invest in cutting-edge medical technology to enhance patient care outcomes, institute a culture of excellent, individualised care across its services to generate faith and trust in every single patient, and deliver best-quality medical care. It should do all of this with compassion and ethics, through transparent, effective, patient-empowering communication.

American Hospital Dubai ticks every one of these boxes.

The flagship division of the Dubai-based Mohammad & Obaid AlMulla Group, the 252-bed hospital, located in the heart of Dubai at Oud Metha, is recognised as a premier healthcare institution offering world-class, cutting-edge technology-driven primary, secondary and selected tertiary medical care to people of the UAE, the region and the world.

A Mayo Clinic Network Member (MCNM) with many international accreditations to its name – it was the first hospital in the Middle East to be awarded the prestigious JCI accreditation in May 2000 – American Hospital Dubai attracts some of the best healthcare professionals across the spectrum.

The hospital places the highest value on innovation and research in medical sciences to continuously improve treatments and care delivery methodologies and its investment in artificial intelligence (AI) for enhanced healthcare solutions has placed it in the vanguard of pioneering healthcare institutions in the region.

Partnering with Cerner, the global healthcare company, American Hospital Dubai launched the region’s first AI research centre in 2020. This initiative aims to leverage Cerner’s electronic health records (EHR) data along with its clinical AI and advanced data analytics tools to create centres of excellence in a range of treatment fields.

The partnership reflects American Hospital Dubai’s commitment to the UAE’s vision and strategy of fully integrating AI into medical services to minimise the burden of chronic diseases. It also reiterates American Hospital Dubai’s fundamental objective: to continuously improve patient care outcomes and empower individuals to proactively manage their health.

American Hospital Dubai has earned its distinction as a complex disease multi-specialist by initiating a cluster of regional centres of excellence in various specialties in heart health, cancer, diabetes and other conditions to deliver exceptional results through niche medical services and health packages.

On the occasion of World Health Day, Dr Maroun El Khoury, Chief of Oncology Centre of Excellence, tells GN Focus how American Hospital Dubai is contributing to building a healthy population in the UAE.

The theme of this year’s World Health Day is Building a Fairer, Healthier World. What are the areas the UAE needs to focus on to promote good health among its population?

The UAE’s focus is on curbing non-communicable diseases (NCD), cancer rates, smoking, etc. These are among its top priorities and we are making good progress. The country is also boosting preventive healthcare through the integration of smart technologies - telemedicine, robotic surgeries and the use of AI - as well as expanding urban amenities for people to pursue healthy habits such as walking, cycling, jogging, and yoga. The UAE must continue to pursue preventive healthcare - that is key to reducing disease statistics.

People have been putting health concerns on the back burner during the pandemic. What’s your advice?

It is extremely important to prioritise healthcare because a healthy individual is the building block of a healthy society, which is the foundation for a thriving nation. American Hospital Dubai has always understood the importance of preventive care and we strive to educate and empower people to take charge of their own health through year-round campaigns, community initiatives and communication strategies.

How does American Hospital Dubai plan to mark World Health Day?

American Hospital Dubai believes that every day is a day of commitment to pursue excellence in healthcare. Our total dedication to placing the patient’s needs first has motivated us to consistently raise the bar in medical innovation, research and technology, and AI-led healthcare solutions.

We do not restrict ourselves to simply following care-delivery best practices: we initiate our own best practices, which include investing in highly specialised hubs for treating complex diseases, creating centres of excellence in fields such as cancer, heart, diabetes, and joint replacements, leading the way in robotic surgeries in the region, and opening the region’s first AI-led healthcare research centre.