SEHA introduces comprehensive hematology and oncology center

• The service line integration will strengthen SEHA’s distinctive Group Practice Model, ensuring a collaborative approach to medical care

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, (SEHA), the UAE’s largest healthcare network, further strengthens its Group Practice Model by integrating adult hematology and oncology services from Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), a flagship tertiary hospital in the UAE and the largest teaching medical center in Abu Dhabi, with Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), one of the UAE’s largest hospitals for serious and complex care and a joint-venture partnership between SEHA and Mayo Clinic.

SEHA’s new comprehensive Hematology and Oncology center, now located at SSMC, will combine the legacy of SKMC and international expertise of SSMC to provide patients with unparalleled standards of healthcare delivery and enhance patient access to primary and specialty care across specialties.

Established in 2005, SKMC has pioneered the provision of innovative medical technologies for local and regional patients, establishing itself as a market leader and setting new benchmarks for the sector. Over the past three years, the facility treated 13,400+ outpatients and 2,200+ inpatients, of which 60% were pediatric patients.

By adopting a Group Practice Model, SEHA is leveraging the scale and comprehensive expertise of its network to ensure widespread access to expert care for patients and a culture of knowledge-sharing that allows professionals to work closer as one cohesive team, leveraging each other’s strengths and capabilities.  

Dr. Tarek Fathey, Group Chief Executive Officer, SEHA, said: “SEHA’s ultimate vision is to provide the highest quality of care and services to the people of the UAE and the wider region. As we support the UAE leadership’s ambition of transforming the healthcare industry to deliver best-in-class treatment services, incorporating the latest technology and innovation, we have a clear strategy that includes streamlining services across facilities, improving efficiencies, and creating renowned centers for the provision of specialist and holistic care. This is an integral part of our journey towards the future in establishing a modern, progressive network fit for the next 50 years and beyond.

“By adopting a comprehensive, integrated and collaborative approach, hematology and oncology patients will now receive multidisciplinary care with a more pronounced focus on talent acquisition and treatment methods through our partners at Mayo Clinic, to elevate the patient experience and ensure a seamless continuum of care.”

As part of the service line integration, SSMC’s hematology and oncology department will expand to include a 30-bed inpatient unit, 8-bed apheresis unit, and a new division of transfusion services. The only hematology-centric fellowship program in the UAE, which was formally offered at SKMC, is also being transferred to SSMC. The department will also be establishing a comprehensive Stem Cell Transplant Center at SSMC.

Dr. Naser Ammash, Chief Executive Officer, SSMC, said: “SSMC is accelerating full speed towards its mission of setting new benchmarks for medical care and treatment in the Emirates and the wider region. At the heart of our mission is patient care, and in efforts to respond to the country’s hematology and oncology needs, we are pleased to join forces with SKMC’s remarkable talent and expertise to strengthen the network’s collective offerings to patients, adding to the mix Mayo Clinic’s world renowned prowess.

“We are steadfast in our promise to build the capital’s future Life-Science and Innovation hub that involves significant advancements in medical practice supported by research and medical education. By uniting SEHA’s powerful network and Mayo Clinic’s international expertise, we are reinforcing our focus on SSMC’s strategic priorities and inching closer towards our collective overarching vision of establishing the next Mayo Clinic destination medical center in Abu Dhabi for the care of the most complex and seriously ill patients.”

Following the integration of services, SSMC will provide extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) cancer treatment and care for acute hematology and leukemia. The hospital’s Hematology and Oncology Department, led by Dr. Shahrukh Hashmi, Department Chair of Hematology & Oncology and former Director of BMT LTFU/Survivorship Clinic at Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, will offer an interdisciplinary range of services and treatments in one location and with best-in-class expertise.

Dr. Shahrukh Hashmi, Chair, Hematology & Oncology, SSMC, said: “Cancers are the third leading cause of death in the UAE after cardiovascular disease and injuries. In our efforts to improve this statistic and ensure patients are receiving the best-in-class care they require that meets, if not exceeds, international standards, we are strengthening SEHA’s holistic hematology and oncology offerings by combining our assets and heavily injecting international mastery.”

For more information on the integration of services or to book an appointment, please call 800 50, visit https://www.seha.ae/serviceshift/  or download the SEHA app.

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About SEHA: 

The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC–SEHA – is an independent, public joint stock company created to develop the curative activities of the public healthcare system in Abu Dhabi. The company owns and operates all the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

SEHA is part of ADQ, one of the region’s largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabi’s diversified economy.

SEHA is committed to continuous improvement of customer care to recognized international standards and providing the community with world-class healthcare. SEHA operates 13 hospitals with 3,385 beds, 70 ambulatory care, family care and urgent care centers and 2 blood banks. Its facilities accommodate 117,162 inpatients annually and conduct 43,262 surgeries, as well as treating more than five million outpatients. SEHA is one of the largest integrated healthcare providers in the Middle East with more than 18,000 doctors, nurses, ancillary care, and administrative personnel. Learn more at www.seha.ae 

About Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC):

Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) is a joint venture between Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), the UAE’s largest healthcare network, and Mayo Clinic, a non-profit global leader in medical care, education and research headquartered in the United States of America. Established in 2019, SSMC is the largest tertiary hospital in the UAE and serves to elevate the provision of healthcare services in the nation under the mandate of the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.

Supported by the latest diagnostic and treatment modalities available, SSMC offers care in 24 specialties. A team of locally and internationally trained physicians and allied health staff work seamlessly together, which promotes comprehensive interdisciplinary learning, allowing SSMC to become a leading hub for integrated patient-centric medical services in the region.

As the region’s leading tertiary facility, SSMC has 742 patient beds, 18 operating theatres and includes a hybrid operating room, 26 neonatal intensive care units and the UAE’s largest pathology lab.

For more information on Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City or to book an appointment, visit https://ssmcabudhabi.ae/ .

© Press Release 2021