Combating coronavirus: Sheikh Hamdan opens field hospital at Dubai World Trade Centre

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, has opened a field hospital at the Dubai World Trade Centre. A series of photos shared on social media by the Government of Dubai Media Office on Saturday show Sheikh Hamdan adhering to precautions like wearing a mask and gloves as he tours the field hospital. He is also seen interacting with the medics at the facility as he maintains an adequate social distance from them.

As reported by Khaleej Times last week, the Dubai World Trade Centre has been converted into a massive field hospital with a capacity to treat over 3,000 Covid-19 patients.

The trade centre has the critical facilities and size needed for the proper functioning of a large hospital, the media office had said last week.

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) set up the medical equipment and staffed the facility "as there is a requirement for increased capacity". The temporary hospital will operate under the umbrella of the DHA, the Covid-19 Command and Control Centre, and the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai.

Humaid Al Qutami, Director-General of the DHA, said the field hospital can be expanded to provide up to 3,030 beds. Staffed by well-trained medical staff including doctors, nurses and paramedical personnel, the hospital will maximise the capacity of Dubai's healthcare system.

Dr Amer Ahmad Sharif, Vice-Chancellor of the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) and head of Dubai's Covid-19 Command and Control Centre, said the field hospital provides additional capacity that will create further confidence in the emirate's healthcare system's ability to contain the Covid-19 and "deal with unexpected scenarios".