Dubai: The emergency department of Latifa Hospital for Women and Children, Dubai’s oldest and largest dedicated maternity and paediatric hospital, will undergo expansion to increase its capacity to handle 60,000 patients annually from the current 30,000, announced a Dubai Health Authority spokesperson.
Fatma Al Masbah, director of Finance and Administration at the hospital, said the new emergency department will have a green and child-friendly theme to create a positive patient- and family-centric environment in line with international modern practices.
“The expansion will include two sides — one designated for women and the other for children. The look of the department will be changed completely starting from the reception, MRI and obstetric and gynaecology consultation rooms to enhance accessibility, safety and delivery of service,” she said.
Earlier this month, Dr Muna Tahlak, CEO of Latifa Hospital, also announced that the hospital’s delivery suite would be undergoing an expansion to not only increase its capacity but also improve patient flow procedures, minimise patient transfers from one location to another and enhance overall care.
“It will include two more operation theatre (OT) rooms making the number of OTs to six. [Currently] , approximately 5,000 to 6,000 deliveries take place per year at the hospital; post the expansion, we will be able to handle close to 10,000 deliveries per year.
“The premises is recognised as a baby-friendly hospital and we follow kangaroo-care practices even for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) babies to ensure speedy recovery of premature babies and early bonding between parents and the baby.”
Dr Tahlak added that the paediatric and maternity emergency departments function round the clock and both will undergo expansion.
The hospital is also a pioneer in minimal invasive gynaecology surgeries as it conducts nearly 80 per cent of all surgeries laparoscopically and aims to further develop its expertise in this field.
In 2015, the hospital received a recognition from the American Association of Gynaecological Laparoscopy (AAGL) as a Centre of Excellence in Gynaecological Minimally Invasive Surgery (COEMIG). This year, the hospital will continue to provide training courses to doctors in COEMIG surgeries.
