Dubai: The Dubai Health Authority on Tuesday put a deadline on all day-care surgical centres to obtain international accreditation within 18 months. Earlier, only hospitals were required to obtain this accreditation.
Almost 97 per cent of hospitals have this accreditation but now even day care centres will have to fulfill this requirement within 18 months.
The deadline was announced by DHA officials in a press conference on Tuesday.
Addressing the press conference, Humaid Al Qutami, DHA director-general, said that safety of patients remained top priority and no harm would be tolerated.
In a shocking case reported last week, a young 24-year-old Emirati woman slipped into coma following a routine cosmetic procedure carried out at a cosmetic surgery clinic in Dubai, Gulf News reported on May 9.
The woman underwent a rhinoplasty performed by the clinic’s leading plastic surgeon. Rhinoplasty, commonly known as a nose job, is a plastic surgery procedure involving reconstructive surgery for correcting or augmenting the shape of the nose for cosmetic or functional reasons.
However, the woman had a possible oxygen deficit to the brain leading to the coma. The woman was airlifted to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi where she remains in coma.
The announcement also comes days after a 42-year-old Indian woman died during a hip replacement surgery at a private hospital in Dubai on May 9. The DHA has launched an investigation after the woman’s husband filed a complaint. The hospital has also launched an “independent review” into the case.
On Tuesday, the DHA officials expressed condolences to the family and said the investigation can take up to 12 months.
In a statement to Gulf News earlier, Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO of Health Regulation sector at the DHA, said: “The case is currently under investigation. The DHA looks into every single case of alleged negligence and/or malpractice stringently. The Health Regulation Sector follows due process in line with international standards to investigate such cases, where a committee of subject matter experts is formed to investigate the case. Deemed action is taken according to the merit of each case.”
