Rashid Hospital is the only hospital in the Middle East to get a disease specific certification for the cardiology section from JCI.

The disease specific certification is for best practises in Acute Coronary Syndrome

Dubai, 3 February, 2010:  The Rashid Hospital is the only hospital in the Middle-East to get a disease specific certification in cardiology from the Joint Commission International (JCI)

The disease specific certification in Acute Coronary Syndrome was granted to the Cardiology Department for the best practises they follow to deal with cardiac patients who suffer from heart attacks and other cardiac disorders.

The JCI not only granted the cardiology section of the hospital this accreditation but also put up some practises followed by the cardiology section at the Rashid Hospital on their best practises website to encourage other hospitals around the world to follow the same standard.

Dr Mohammad Al Olama, CEO of the Hospital Services Sector at the DHA said, "As per the directions of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai to encourage the medical sector in Dubai to achieve international accreditations and in line with the instructions of the His Excellency Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, DHA Director General, the DHA has been working to achieve international accreditations and advanced accreditations for all the DHA hospitals and their medical programs. This is a very proud moment for us and we will continue to work on the same path to further strengthen the quality of services across the DHA hospitals and health centers." 

Dr Shawqi Mirhashem Khoori, CEO of Rashid Hospital said, "The cardiology section is a high volume, high risk department and it is a known fact that heart diseases are a leading cause of mortality worldwide and also in the UAE. Given the importance of this section, this certification is a significant achievement and it encourages us to ensure that we continue to provide the best possible treatment for our patients."

Dr Zakaria Al Attal, Director of Quality and Performance Management in the Hospital Services Sector at the DHA said, "The DHA pays a strong emphasis to achieving international accreditations. In 2007, we were the only government sector hospital in the world to achieve JCI accreditations for all three DHA hospitals- the Dubai Hospital, Al Wasl Hospital, Rashid Hospital and the Thalassemia Centre- all at the same time. As far as this advanced certification is concerned, the highlight of this accreditation is that we fulfilled the three important focus areas the JCI looks into -patient care, multi-disciplinary approach and qualified doctors who are at the forefront of the medical process."

The Rashid Hospital Cardiology Section has also been able to surpass the international benchmark with regard the time required before a procedure is conducted.

Dr Fahad Omar Baslaib, Head of Cardiology Department at the Rashid Hospital explains, "From the moment the patient is brought in to the hospital until his artery is unblocked by either an injection or an angioplasty, the time is monitored. Our cardiology department has surpassed the international 'door to needle' time. We take 24 minutes as compared to the international requirement of 30 minutes. We have also surpassed the 'door to balloon' time.  We take 74 minutes whereas the international standard is less than 90 minutes.

"Heart attack cases are critical and time is muscle for us, which means that the longer the time taken to unblock the artery, the more damage to the muscle, which essentially means more damage the heart."

Dr Baslaid also highlighted the areas the JCI report has mentioned that the cardiology department has excelled in. "The JCI report highlighted Rashid Hospital Cardiology section's exemplary standards which other hospitals around the world will be encouraged to follow. These include the patient education tool called the 'patient map' which our section has prepared and the multidisciplinary approach that we follow for each patient.  From a dietician to a psychological counsellor to focussing on cardiac rehabilitation a team of specialists work on every patient in our cardiac department."

Dr Ahmed Gabroun, Specialist Registrar in the Cardiology Section said, "The 'patient map' is an educational guide  that informs the patient about the procedure the patient has undergone and the next steps that the patient needs to follow including the diet, counselling, medication and rehabilitation. The patient education guide is very important because it allows the patient to understand what has happened and what are the next steps shall be. It is a very important process because helps put the patient at ease."

The cardiology department received 1600 patients in the cardiology section, which is 40% of the total medical admissions. The unit is the third busiest department after the trauma centre and the general surgery department. In 2008 the cardiology section conducted between 850-900 cardiac procedures.

He highlighted that the cardiology section is a high volume, high risk section and time is essential to save times.  To cater to the growing number of cardiac cases the hospital also recently set up a state-of-the-art catherization laboratory. The cath suite has the latest technology required for coronary angiography. It is also equipped with other devices such as the intravascular ultrasound machine which does an ultrasound inside the artery and also checks the pressure of the artery; this is a facility which not many places in the region have.

The procedures that will be conducted in the Cath suite include primary angioplasty, coronary angioplasty with stent implantation, balloon valvuloplasty, permanent peacemaker implantation etc.

-Ends-

The DHA:
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has been empowered to set policy and strategy for health, and to assure the application of that health policy and strategy. The DHA leads an integrated approach across the spectrum of health, anticipating our future needs and being responsive to users. It will stimulate growth and innovation in the health market, ensuring value for money and quality of services through effective regulation.

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) structure will ensure that health services are better positioned to meet the demand for better healthcare services in the future. The DHA will work to:

  • Provide a Health Strategy for Dubai that will meet the needs of the predicted growth and change in population.

  • Ensure Public Health is protected and quality of life improved.

  • Ensure partnership between public and private health service providers, bringing together the best international experience to ensure we deliver the best health system possible.

  • Achieve international accreditation of healthcare services delivered across the Emirate by ensuring world-class quality and standards of healthcare.

  • Ensure effective regulation and licensing across the Dubai Health Sector guaranteeing the quality of health services provided.

  • Increase the transparency and accountability of the healthcare system.

  • Drive efficiency so that funding is spent on the most effective healthcare for those who need it.

  • Improve accessibility to the healthcare system and sustainability for the future.

  • Deliver the best training and education opportunities for Dubai healthcare practitioners.

For more information, please contact 
Kamakshi Gupta
Communications Analyst
Institutional Marketing and Communications Department, DHA
klgupta@dha.gov.ae
009714- 2197455

© Press Release 2010