Meet Dr. Ahmed Al Kamali, the first Emirati to specialise in paediatric cardiac catheterisation

Dubai: For more than two decades, Emirati Dr. Ahmed Al Kamali has been at the front lines of one of medicine’s most delicate fields: paediatric cardiac catheterisation.

The first Emirati to specialise in the discipline has performed more than 2,300 paediatric heart catheterisations, about 1,000 within the country and 1,300 through his “Little Hearts” initiative, a programme he launched to treat children with heart defects in countries with limited healthcare resources.

From Yemen to Sudan, Morocco to Bangladesh, Al Kamali has led medical missions delivering complex heart procedures to patients who would otherwise have no access to treatment.

“The most moving moments,” he says, “are when a child’s treatment ends with a parent’s prayer and thanks. Those moments go beyond medicine; they’re about our responsibility to humanity.”

Al Kamali’s journey began in 1993, after graduating from the Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain. Four years later, a combination of personal experience – his own brother suffered from an undiagnosed heart and chest condition, and professional interest led him to Canada for specialised training in paediatric cardiology. By 2003, he had returned to the UAE as the nation’s first physician in the speciality.

He went on to establish the UAE’s first dedicated paediatric heart centre at Al Jalila Hospital in Dubai, where he served for a decade before assuming his current role as head of the cardiac centre at Al Qasimi Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Under his leadership, the facility has become a hub for advanced paediatric heart care, handling around 100 catheterisations annually in-house, plus about 200 additional operations through volunteer campaigns.

Al Kamali has been instrumental in equipping his department with cutting-edge tools, including a newly introduced device that instantly measures haemoglobin, oxygen, and electrolyte levels during surgery. This technology, he explains, allows surgical teams to make faster, more accurate decisions, improving patient outcomes.

Still, he remains clear-eyed about the role of artificial intelligence in medicine. “AI can help pinpoint catheter placement, guide procedures, and reduce errors,” he says. “But it cannot replace the judgement, intuition, and responsibility that a doctor brings to the operating table. The human element is irreplaceable.”

He notes that the UAE now has three specialised paediatric heart centres, an exceptional ratio for its population.

Some of Al Kamali’s most challenging cases involve newborns who weigh less than two kilograms, often undergoing surgery within hours of birth.

These high-pressure procedures demand precision, composure, and deep collaboration between medical team members. “The stress is immense,” he admits. “You’re holding a child’s life in your hands, and outside the operating room, the parents are waiting in fear.”

Thanks to advancements in diagnostic imaging, UAE physicians can now detect many congenital heart defects in the womb, often by the third or fourth month of pregnancy.

This allows doctors to plan interventions immediately after birth. Al Kamali hopes the next step will be performing corrective heart surgery inside the womb, a goal that will require highly specialised teams and equipment.

Beyond surgical care, Al Kamali stresses prevention. He encourages pregnant women to attend regular medical checkups, take folic acid to reduce the risk of birth defects, and manage conditions such as gestational diabetes and hypertension.

He also advocates premarital genetic testing, which can identify hereditary conditions that may cause heart problems in future children.

As for children, he warns that modern lifestyles have introduced risks such as obesity, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol, conditions once rare in young patients. Regular checkups, balanced diets, and daily physical activity, he says, are essential to safeguarding long-term heart health.

Al Kamali’s focus on both technological innovation and humanitarian care has established him as one of the region’s leading paediatric cardiologists. His operating room now uses advanced tools such as real-time blood analysis devices and AI-assisted imaging, yet his philosophy remains clear: medicine is, above all, a human profession.

“Technology is an extraordinary ally,” he says. “But no matter how advanced it becomes, the life of a patient will always depend on a doctor’s skill, judgement, and compassion.”