Abu Dhabi: Health care in Abu Dhabi will soon be enhanced with new medical and special needs centres and a rehabilitation centre that were given the go-ahead by the Abu Dhabi Executive Council last week.
Among these were approvals for 14 health care facilities, including four new public hospitals, an official source who frequently coordinates with the Abu Dhabi Executive Council told Gulf News.
One of the most prominent projects that received a nod was the Abu Dhabi Cleveland Clinic, a spec-ialist hospital that will focus on providing care in the fields of neurology, ophthalmology, and gastrointestinology.
Cardiology care, which the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (Haad) has identified in its most recently released statistics as a field that requires capacity building, will also be a focus at the clinic.
The 364-bed hospital, which is scheduled to open in late 2013, intends to provide quality care within the UAE with the aim of reducing the need for patients to pursue medical treatment abroad.
Aisha Al Hammadi, a 35-year-old homemaker, welcomed the announcements.
"I have travelled abroad for specialist medical care [at least] once annually for the last five years. So the establishment of internationally renowned hospitals that provide focused care is definitely good news," she said.
‘Quality care'
"Since expenses towards foreign medical treatment will be reduced, I expect quality care at home will also translate into lower costs for the government," Aisha added.
According to the Haad, the emirate currently has 33 hospitals and 674 centres and clinics in existence.
Six special needs centres will also be established following the executive decision, including autism centres in the capital as well as in Al Ain.
There has long been a demand for more such facilities, especially as autistic children fare better if they receive specialised care as soon as possible, Waseem Fathallah, paediatric neurologist and consultant at the capital's Mafraq Hospital, told Gulf News earlier.
