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Dubai - Rashid Hospital recently opened a dedicated in-patient gastroenterology unit, said a top health official.
Gastroenterology is a branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. Diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract, which include the organs from mouth to anus, along the alimentary canal, are the focus of this specialty.
Dr Ahmad Bin Kalban, CEO of Hospital Services Sector at the DHA, said: " At the DHA, it is our aim to ensure our hospitals provide comprehensive care across all specialties and this unit will benefit gastroenterology patients that visit Rashid Hospital."
Dr Alya Saif Al Mazrouei, CEO of Rashid Hospital, said: "The move is in line with our vision to provide high-quality healthcare across all specialties. The hospital receives a high number of gastroenterology cases every year and the expansion will help provide comprehensive in-patient gastroenterology services to our patients."
Dr Sameer Al Awadhi, head of digestive diseases unit at Rashid Hospital, said: " The expansion increases the number of in-patient beds from 6 to 19, which is important given the high volume of patients the unit receives. On a yearly basis, the hospital conducts more than 7000 gastroenterology procedures, these include in-patient and out-patient procedures."
He added the in-patient services include all cases of gastrointestinal( GI) bleeding, liver disease etc. while the out-patient services include endoscopy, colonoscopy, double-balloon enteroscopy etc.
Dr Al Awadhi added that the out-patient endoscopy rooms will also be increased from three to five in the near future.
He said the hospital receives patients from Dubai as well as some from the Northern Emirates and several private sector referral cases.
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About the Dubai Health Authority
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) was created, in June 2007, by Law 13 issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, with an expanded vision to include strategic oversight for the complete health sector in Dubai and enhance private sector engagement. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance is the President of the Dubai Health Authority and His Excellency Engineer Essa Al Maidoor is the Director-General of the DHA.
The DHA's aim in Dubai is to provide an accessible, effective and integrated healthcare system, protect public health and improve the quality of life within the Emirate. This is a direct translation of the objectives of the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Keeping the strategic plan in mind, the DHA's mission is to ensure access to health services, maintain and improve the quality of these services, improve the health status of nationals, residents and visitors and oversee a dynamic, efficient and innovative health sector.
In addition to overseeing the health sector for the Emirate of Dubai, the DHA also focuses on providing services through DHA healthcare facilities including hospitals (Latifa, Dubai, Rashid and Hatta), specialty centres (e.g. the Dubai Diabetes Center) and DHA primary health centres spread throughout the Emirate of Dubai.
The main pillars of service delivery at DHA health facilities are quality, efficiency, patients and staff. It is our aim to maintain and improve the quality and efficiency of DHA health services. An important aspect of the service delivery strategy is to focus on patients, their needs and satisfaction as well as attract, retain, nurture and support outstanding staff.
Prior to the establishment of the DHA, the Department of Health and Medical Services (DOHMS), which was established in 1973, was the functioning authority that almost exclusively focused on health service delivery.
© Press Release 2015
