Abu Dhabi: A full-fledged Emergency Department has opened at the Ahalia Hospital Musaffah.
The 10-bed unit is strategically located in the capital city’s industrial area, and will provide critical care to patients with acute, life-threatening injuries and conditions, Dr Khwaja Ahsan Manzoor, consultant and head of department, told Gulf News.
“We are located right next to a major highway and motorway – E30, and this will allow patients to easily access emergency treatment. As an Urgent Care Centre, we saw a significant amount of cardiac arrests and workplace injuries, and many patients would walk in for treatment. Now that the unit has been upgraded into an Emergency Department, we expect to receive ambulance arrivals, and more complex cases,” Dr Manzoor said.
Other Emergency Departments
The hospital, which has a total of 110 beds, previously had an Urgent Care Centre, which was equipped to deal with minor illnesses and injuries, including strains, cuts, burns, and rashes. Its upgrade to an emergency department, as defined by the emirate’s health regulator, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH, means that the facility can provide care for more severe, acute injuries.
The capital city has many Urgent Care Centres across its many clinics and hospitals. Emergency Departments or ERs, on the other hand, are located at tertiary care facilities, including at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, the Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Burjeel Hospital, NMC Royal Hospital, Lifecare Hospital, and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. They are equipped to deal with patients who present with symptoms like severe chest pain, breathing difficulties, loss of consciousness, heavy blood loss, serious trauma, severe burns, and suspected strokes.
Specialist care
“Our Emergency Department is staffed by two consultants, three senior specialists, 12 general practitioners, as well as nurses and allied health professionals. At the moment, we are fully able to care for Category 3 traumas, which are defined as traumas in which the patient is in comparatively stable condition with no major visible injuries,” Dr Manzoor explained.
“With the excellent skill mix and wide range of experience, this team ensures compassionate safe and timely medical care to all patients. We triage, treat, and stabilise everyone with the same affection and attentiveness, independent of their ethical and social background. We acknowledge that the treatment provided in the ER reflects upon patient’s subsequent care and clinical outcome ,hence getting it right is of utmost importance for the ER team,” he added.
Other sup-specialties
The Emergency Department works in tandem with the hospital’s other units – including major sub-specialties like internal medicine, surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, cardiology, cardiac surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, medical and surgical gastroenterology, urology, general paediatrics and neonatology, nephrology, and gynaecology – to ensure holistic treatment for patients.
“Ahalia Hospital Musaffah has a round-the-clock percutaneous coronary intervention cardiac catheterisation laboratory to serve the community. Our laboratory provides modern investigations at any time of the day, and the radiology department is equipped with X-Ray, CT scan, MRI, and other radiology services. The hospital is accredited by Joint Commission international,” the facility said in a statement.
