Dubai: A new 150-bed multi-speciality hospital catering to Al Ghusais and patients from the northern emirates was inaugurated on Sunday.
Formally opened by Humaid Al Qutami, Director General of Dubai Health Authority, this is the second Aster Hospital in Dubai.
Dr Azad Moopen, founder, chairman and MD of Aster DM Health Care, said that with the opening of the new hospital, the total bed capacity of his group has gone up to 600 beds in the UAE.
The group has a total of six hospitals in the UAE, two under the Aster brand in the affordable range for the middle class sector, four hospitals under the brand name Medcare, catering to the upper and middle class. Three Medcare hospitals are in Dubai while a fourth one is located in Sharjah.
The new hospital will have neurology and critical care and neo natal units among many other niche health care facilities, said Dr Moopen.
In the last three years, the group has invested Dh750 million in the UAE and another Dh250 million investment is planned over the next two years.
Moopen said added: “Thirty years ago, when we started with a small clinic in Bur Dubai, we made a promise to bring quality health care to the doorstep of people at affordable costs. Our main aim is to care and cure people and therefore apart from our primary health clinics in various neighbourhoods we are attempting to bring tertiary care close to neighbourhoods and will continue constructing more hospitals in areas where they are required.”
Dr Sherbaz Bichu, CEO of Aster Hospitals, said that the hospital would be tapping into a their vast health care resources in India and flying in specialists in niche medicine to cater to the needs of the patients in Dubai. “Apart from the 38 doctors at our Mankhool branch, the new hospital will also be able to tap into Aster DM Health care’s network of over 2,500 doctors and fly in acclaimed specialists to perform complex surgeries like organ transplants, brain and cardiac surgeries.”
Alisha Moopen, executive director of the group, said: “With mandatory health insurance, health care is now accessible to a majority of residents and nearly 80-90 per cent of residents of Dubai are expatriates. With advances in health care infectious diseases are no longer a cause for concern as much as the lifestyle diseases. In the UAE, 34 per cent of population is obese and nearly 22 per cent are smokers. There is a high prevalence of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and respiratory diseases arising out of these lifestyle choices. We require the commitment of the entire community towards health care and will endeavour to address these health issues in our new hospital as well.”
Affordable hospital for blue collar workers in six months
A 40-bed multi speciality hospital for blue collar workers will open its doors in the next six months. The hospital under the brand name Access, part of the Aster DM health care group, is already under construction in Muhaisanah, said Dr Moopen and will cater to the workers living in Sonapur. “We aim to bring health care at affordable costs to them. We are also looking at opening another hospital under Axis in the Jebel Ali ae as we are committed to the cause of giving back to the community,” added Dr Moopen.
