New Tawam IVF Centre is a milestone in bringing global gold standard in-vitro fertilisation and care to the region

Al Ain, UAE, December 11, 2012

Tawam Hospital announced today that it has opened the doors of its new in-vitro fertilization (IVF) centre at its Al Ain campus. The new centre is equipped with a state-of-the-art laboratory, equipment, and design. The Tawam IVF team incorporates multicultural consultants and specialists, embryologists, and nursing staff qualified to international standards and backed by years of experience in providing patient care excellence. The launch of the centre is a milestone in bringing global gold standard in-vitro fertilisation and care to the region.

Established in June 1991, the IVF department at Tawam Hospital brought to life the vision of Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He envisaged a place where people with medical conception difficulties could receive the best possible care and treatment within the UAE. The new IVF centre expands the original site and adds advanced services to treat and care for more complex infertility issues.

Dr. Fathya Sharif, Ob/Gyn Consultant and Head of Tawam IVF-Infertility Center, said: "We are proud to announce the opening of the new in-vitro fertilization centre at Tawam Hospital. It will build on the earlier achievements of our specialist IVF team that has engineered breakthroughs in fertility medicine in the region. We have made possible the births of both a girl and a boy from oocyte-vetrification and have helped couples suffering from infertility problems for as long as 15 years have children.  We expect to build on our achievements as the UAE's most successful infertility service-providers and bring happiness to many more families in the UAE."

Mr. Wesam Al-Woshah, IVF laboratory manager, added: "The new IVF centre incorporates the most advanced equipment in the IVF laboratory setting including incubators, high-tech microscopes, IVF chamber, and air filtration systems. It is a well-equipped laboratory to nurture healthy embryos for better chances of pregnancy and for providing a comprehensive range of fertility treatments".

Treatment programmes are selected as per the needs and preferences of individual couples and may call for a combination of treatment options. These include ovulation induction and cycle monitoring, in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), intra-uterine insemination (IUI), intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), surgical sperm recovery (SSR), sperm and oocytes storage, and pre-implantation genetic screening and diagnosis.

Tawam Hospital is part of the SEHA Health System owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

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About Tawam Hospital
Tawam Hospital in affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine is a premier, 467-bed tertiary care facility located in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, one of the largest of the United Arab Emirates. With over 20,000 admission in 2011 and over 75% occupancy rate, Tawam serves as a regional referral center for specialized medical care and a national referral center for oncology services.

Though it offers services in all specialties, the hospital is best known for its oncology, neonatal care, emergency medicine, intensive care, surgery, urology, family medicine, fertility services, neurosurgery, nephrology, and pediatrics and pain management.

With an average of over 320 inpatients in the hospital daily, Tawam Hospital has been the preferred destination for quality medical care in the UAE. In 2011, the ER unit has received over 135,000 patients. Non-hospital clinic visits have exceeded 169,000 while its hospital clinic visits have surpassed the 340,000 mark. Tawam's team of renowned surgeons has performed over 8,000 surgeries while the dental clinic has served over 85,000 patients.

More than 4,400 babies in the UAE have been born at Tawam Hospital in 2011. In the same year, the hospital conducted over 18,000 CT/MRIs, over 135,000 radiology exams, over 57,000 physiotherapy tests and over 3,740,000 laboratory tests. The average length of stay (ALOS) at Tawam Hospital in 2011 was 5.2 days.

Tawam Hospital is one of the first public hospitals to receive JCI accreditation in the UAE.  Tawam Hospital is part of the SEHA Health System owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

About Johns Hopkins Medicine International
Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI) facilitates the global development of the Johns Hopkins Medicine mission: to improve the health of the community and the world by setting the standard of excellence in medical education, research and clinical care.

As the international access point to thousands of Johns Hopkins experts in medicine, nursing, public health and health care administration, JHI coordinates treatment for out-of-town patients who travel to Baltimore and for local patients with limited English proficiency. It also provides services in hospital management, health care consulting and clinical education through strategic alliances and affiliations in the Middle East, Latin America, North America, Europe and Asia.

About the SEHA Health System and the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC (SEHA)
SEHA is health in Arabic. The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC- whose marketing identity is 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 which together make up the SEHA Health System. SEHA is committed to continuous improvement of customer care to recognized international standards and providing our customers and communities served world class healthcare. SEHA has partnered with internationally recognized hospital managers to achieve these goals. These include Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and Fresenius Medical Care. SEHA owns and operates 12 hospitals with 2,644 beds, 62 ambulatory care, family care and urgent care centers and 2 blood banks. SEHA is one of the largest integrated healthcare providers in the Middle East with more than 17,000 doctors, nurses, ancillary care and administrative personnel in its employ. 

For media enquiries, please contact:
Sumaya Al Harrasi
Marketing & Business Communications Manager
Tawam Hospital
Tel.: +971 3 7074646
Mobile: +971 553051305
Fax: +971 3 7074818
Email: sharrasi@tawamhospital.ae

Amal Hamad Al Darmaki
Public Relations Officer
Tawam Hospital
Tel.: +971 3 7074646
Fax: +971 3 7074818
Mobile: +971 058329733
Email: Amaldarmaki@tawamhospital.ae

© Press Release 2012