Al Ain, UAE, 23 July, 2014: Tawam Hospital, in affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine and part of the SEHA healthcare system, is hosting the third edition of the Emirates Oncology Conference and 14th Pan-Arab Cancer Congress from November 13 to 15, 2014 at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi. Tawam Hospital is the UAE's referral centre for cancer care, and the Tawam Oncology Department is at the forefront of cancer treatment in the Gulf. 

Close to 1000 attendees are expected to participate in the conference which will feature more than 80 international and local speakers who will share their expertise in the field of Oncology. The conference will include speakers from Johns Hopkins Medicine, the UAE and entire Gulf region, as well as from the broader international medical community. Speakers will address new developments, issues, and challenges in cancer treatment, research, education and palliative care.

This year's conference programme will include sessions on clinical trials and cancer registry along with content-specific oncology sessions covering breast cancer; palliative care; gastrointestinal, gynecological, pulmonary and urological cancers; hematology and pediatric cancer treatments. Participants of the clinical trial trainings will also be eligible for certifications.

New for this year's conference will be sessions on geriatrics, sarcoma, neuro-oncology and supportive care and cancer screening. Tawam Hospital's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Stephen Spann will hold the lecture on cancer screening.

"Tawam Hospital is proud to bring one of the biggest conferences in Oncology in the region which is now on its third run. The past two conferences proved to be well-attended and successful. We are seeing the same trend for this year's conference as we are already receiving huge interests from participants in the UAE and around the region. The insights from both participants and lecturers will prove invaluable to the oncology community as we openly discuss both developments and challenges," said Dr Mohammed Jaloudi, Chair, Emirates Oncology Conference.

This year's conference also sees the support from the European School of Oncology as well as the Breast-Gynecological International Cancer Society (BGICS), a non-profit group aiming to promote optimal standards of care for patients with breast-gynecological cancers.

To register for the conference contact / Visit website link www.emiratesoncology.ae

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 440-bed tertiary care facility located in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi. One of the largest hospitals in the United Arab Emirates, Tawam is committed to providing a continuum of quality healthcare which meets the needs and expectations of the UAE; and aims to provide high quality, cost effective medical services delivered in a friendly, safe and caring environment in accordance with the JCIA Standard of Care.  With over 19,000 admissions in 2013 and an average 68 per cent daily occupancy rate, Tawam offers services in specialties including oncology, neonatal care, emergency medicine, intensive care, surgery, urology, family medicine, fertility services, neurosurgery, nephrology, pediatrics, pain management, internal medicine and obstetrics & gynecology.

Tawam serves as a regional referral center for specialized medical care and is a national referral center for oncology services. Tawam Hospital received program accreditation in 2012 from the American College of Graduate Medical Education - International, and is a recognized intern, resident, and fellowship training site for the Arab Medical Board. Tawam Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission International Accreditation, last renewed in 2012, and its laboratory services are accredited by the College of American Pathology.

With an average of 300 daily inpatients, Tawam Hospital is the preferred destination for quality medical care in the UAE. In 2013, the ER unit received almost 96,000 patients, and hospital clinic visits exceeded 290,000. Tawam's team of renowned surgeons performed over 7,043 surgeries during the year of which nearly 1,950 day surgical cases, while the dental clinics served over 72,000 patients. More than 3,800 babies were born at Tawam Hospital in 2013. In the same year, the hospital performed over 20,800 CT/MRI procedures.

In response to the Voice of Customer, Tawam has implemented many initiatives to reduce the waiting time in the outpatient services leading to a significant improvement in the percentage of patients seen within 45 minutes attaining 73 percent by the end of 2013. Receiving a new Tomotherapy machine, and installing its own state-of-the-art bilingual Interactive Voice Response System (IVR) integrating voice, text and email communications, to increase customer service levels. In terms of recognitions, Tawam Hospital earned a number of accolades in 2013, including: positive accreditation for Emergency Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency programs at Tawam Hospital Academic Affairs, Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award, JCIA Accreditation for IVF/Cardiology Service and Tomotherapy, and many others.  Tawam Hospital also successfully performed the first case of bilateral simultaneous carotid stenting in 2013.The hospital has also undergone physical expansion with the increase in parking spaces in 2013, and introduction of a valet parking service in 2014. Work is underway on Surgical and Medical Wards to provide a single room for each patient to provide more privacy, as well as the refurbishment of the Emergency Ward.

In treating its patients, visitors and employees with dignity, respect and equality, Tawam Hospital is guided by the following principles: treat patients as if they are family; embrace cultural diversity; deal in a trusted, honest and ethical manner; work as a team; continually improve quality; strive for a happy working environment with respect and mutual trust; encourage professional development and innovation through a constant process of learning; provide efficient healthcare to bring value to external and internal customers; and be a good corporate citizen.

Tawam Hospital actively recruits and engages a national workforce. On average, the Emiratization rate at Tawam is 16 percent. 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, more than 60 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.  Visit our website at www.seha.ae

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 2014