Dubai: Dubai is set to get its first integrated hospital specialising in gastroenterology, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) revealed today.
With a capacity of 65 beds, the hospital will be built by Asan Medical Centre, one of the largest medical institutions in South Korea, in cooperation with Scope Investments, and with the support of the DHA.
The facility is expected to constitute a new addition to the system of specialised health services provided by the South Korean group.
Aimed at offering services to patients in the UAE and beyond, the hospital will be built in Dubai Healthcare City.
The construction work of the hospital, which will have seven floors and two basement floors, will start during the next few months in an area of 21,150 square metres.
Treatments and services
Once operational, the hospital will offer multiple services in diagnosing and treating diseases, tumours of the digestive system, including tumours of the stomach, colon, and pancreas, in addition to morbid obesity surgeries, care and follow-up of patients before and after liver transplant operations, and digestive disorders in children according to the latest international practices and protocols in this field.
It will be the first hospital for Asan Medical Centre outside South Korea, and the first hospital specialising in the digestive system in the Arabian Gulf region, which will enhance the competitiveness of the emirate as an ideal destination for health tourism.
The new hospital is expected to save patients in the country and the region the hardship of travelling abroad for treatment at the parent hospital in South Korea.
The Asan Medical Centre in South Korea has performed in the past year alone over 2,800 surgeries for stomach cancer, over 2,600 surgeries for colorectal and rectal cancer, and over 1,100 surgeries for liver cancer.
Dubai’s strengths
Awadh Seghayer Al Ketbi, director-general of the DHA, expressed the great interest that the authority attaches to encouraging health investment, creating a supportive and appropriate environment to enhance its successes, and achieve its ambitions on the land of Dubai, which has become a preferred and attractive destination for investment, due to the incentives and facilities it provides, and its strategic location. Adding to that is the infrastructure that keeps pace with global developments in the medical field.
Al Ketbi highlighted the important and vital role played by the private medical sector in the emirate as a strategic partner for the government sector in achieving the goals of the next stage, improving health services and their sustainability, and employing them to serve and enhance the health of citizens, residents and visitors to the country in general, and Dubai in particular.
He added that the investment growth in health facilities in Dubai, and the global trend of major health institutions to open branches and headquarters in Dubai, reflect the great confidence that the emirate enjoys as an ideal destination for health investment, and confirms its competitiveness, strength and durability of its infrastructure, and the legislation governing its health sector.
Fareed Bilbeisi, CEO of Scope Investment, said: This project stems from the strategy of Scope Investment Company and its medical care arm, Bright Medical Services Company, a strategy that focuses on excellence in providing optimal medical services and distinguished care in all medical projects.”
