Abu Dhabi: A continuum of advanced care, including stem cell therapies and organ transplants, will be offered at the capital’s newest hospital, developed by medical services provider NMC Healthcare.
The 250-bed multispeciality facility, NMC Royal Hospital, is located in Khalifa City. It is billed by NMC officials as the largest private hospital in the country at 75,000 square metres, and has been built at a cost of $200 million (Dh734.59 million).
The facility was inaugurated by Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister for Culture and Knowledge Development.
“As the population of the capital moves further to mainland Abu Dhabi, the hospital will work to provide for its needs with state-of-the-art medical services and emergency care,” said Dr B.R. Shetty, executive chairman and chief executive officer at NMC Healthcare.
“The hospital is the first to be completed on the land awarded by the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi, in accordance with the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 plan,” Al Nahyan said on the occasion.
Abu Dhabi mainland, which includes areas like Khalifa City, Mohammad Bin Zayed City, Al Raha, Al Falah, Shakhbout City and Bani Yas, is set to house one-fifth of the city’s population by 2030. Officials said this demographic trend had influenced the facility’s location
They added that NMC Royal will provide a continuous pathway of care, from prevention and screening to treatment and long-term care. It will form an integrated network with NMC’s latest acquisitions, including long-term care provider Provita, homecare service provider Americare and fertility specialists Fakih IVF.
“For example, our reproductive services will extend from fertility services to maternal and paediatric care. Similarly, our nephrology department will offer the whole range of treatment, from dialysis to kidney transplants,” Prasanth Manghat, deputy chief executive officer at NMC Healthcare, told Gulf News.
He explained that the medical care at the hospital will extend beyond tertiary treatment to quaternary care, with a focus on pioneering new techniques, including stem cell therapies.
“We will first explore stem cell approaches in ophthalmology. And in terms of transplants, our initial plans are to offer kidney and liver transplants, which are the organs most often affected by the lifestyle diseases prevalent in the UAE. We are already in talks with regulators about these,” Manghat said.
The hospital can eventually be expanded to accommodate up to 500 beds.
“In the next phase, the hospital will look to be the first private sector provider for organ transplants, and also become a centre of excellence for medical, surgical and radiation oncology,” Shetty said.
NMC Royal is currently served by 121 medical professionals, and will accept high-end and mid-end insurance plans. As a referral hospital, it will also accept basic insurance plans when treating emergency patients.
