Abu Dhabi: There are more than 210 hospital beds in the capital to accommodate newborn babies who require intensive care, yet the growing population’s needs are ever increasing.

Another 25 beds will be added by a specialised women and children’s private hospital, Danat Al Emarat, as part of a Dh300 million expansion.

Health care provider United Eastern Medical Services (UE Medical) announced the expansion to the current 125-bed hospital on Sunday, December 23.

“Construction will begin in the next three months, [and it is set to be completed by 2020],” said Mohammad Al Hammadi, chief executive officer and managing director of UE Medical.

In total, 100 new beds will be added when the new tower is constructed.

The hospital currently sees 150,000 patient encounters each year, including more than 500 deliveries per month. “We want to be able to complete more than 225,000 patient encounters, with more than 750 deliveries every month. Our current resources are operating at near-full capacity, and there is definitely a demand for more paediatric and women’s healthcare services,” Majd Abu Zant, chief operating officer at UE Medical, told Gulf News.

Officials at health care regulator, the Abu Dhabi Department of Health, said Danat Al Emarat’s expansion will help reduce the capacity gaps in the health care market. A recent report by the department showed that at least 83 new neonatal intensive care unit beds are needed by 2020 to serve Abu Dhabi residents.

Danat Al Emarat is one of two private hospitals in the capital that serve solely women and children. Launched in 2015, the hospital has handled a number of complex births, including a case this year in which an Emirati girl was born with twisted ovaries filled with cysts.

As Gulf News reported, the baby underwent a successful surgery, even though hers was one of only three such cases ever reported worldwide.

Upon expansion, the hospital will offer complex care in a variety of paediatric subspecialties, including orthopaedics, gastroenterology, pulmonology and neurology.

“In many cases, paediatric care is offered in a fragmented fashion in Abu Dhabi, with hospitals having to refer complex cases. We hope to bridge the gap and offer the full range of multispecialty care for children in one facility,” Abu Zant said.