Dubai: King’s College Hospital London in the UAE has signed a service agreement with Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai (MEHD) to provide General Civil Aviation Authority certified screenings to pilots in the UAE. The collaboration highlights the strong ties between both UK-based medical providers in the Emirates and establishes a referral system, where King’s will refer pilots to Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai for GCAA Eye Screenings, given MEHD’s expertise in aviation medicine related to ophthalmology.

All aviation personnel cases requiring Ophthalmology assessments will be passed on to MEHD by King’s, as required by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). The referral pathways have been devised to ensure a seamless patient journey.  This follows the certification last month of King’s Medical Centre in Jumeirah by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) as an approved aviation clinic in the UAE.  

Commenting on the agreement, Neil Buckley, CEO at King’s in the UAE, said: “We’ve solidified this referral system with Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai to be able to generate the most successful clinical outcomes achievable for all aviation personnel, as well as ensure lower overall costs for airlines and aviation companies, without compromising on the patient experience. This agreement is part of our commitment to offering only the very best of British healthcare to local and regional patients, pilots included, and enhancing patient pathways by working with partner providers is just one of the many ways King’s is achieving this.”

David Probert, chief executive at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, said: “I welcome the signing of this significant agreement with King’s College Hospital London in the United Arab Emirates.  Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai has provided eye care to pilots and aircrew from some of the largest national airlines for the past ten years. This agreement will allow our growing team of GCAA licensed, world-leading aeromedical consultants to provide certified screenings and expert care to pilots across the UAE and wider Middle East.”

King’s aeromedical clinic is headed by Dr John Douglas Ferguson, who is a Senior Aeromedical Examiner and Medical Review Officer for the GCAA and an approved instructor and organiser of Aviation Medicine training courses in the UAE.

For more information about GCAA Screenings conducted by King’s College Hospital London or Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, please contact King’s College Hospital London in the UAE through https://kingscollegehospitaldubai.com/  or call 04 378 9555 for King’s, or  https://moorfields.ae/dubai  or call  +9714 429 7888 for Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai.

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About King’s College Hospital London in the United Arab Emirates

The world-renowned British teaching hospital King’s College Hospital London, is now providing trusted patient care in the UAE after a joint venture with Al Tayer Group, Dubai Investments and UK-based Ashmore Group. King’s College Hospital London has two operational Medical Centres in the UAE; one Jumeirah that opened in September 2017 and the other in Abu Dhabi which has been operational since 2014. An additional Dubai-based Medical Centre will open in 2018, closely followed by the 100-bed King’s College Hospital Dubai expected to open in Q1 2019. The hospital will focus on four main specialties: Paediatrics, Endocrinology, Orthopaedics and Obstetrics and Gynaecology. For more information or to book an appointment please call +971 2 501 4000 (Abu Dhabi), +971 4 378 9555 (Dubai) or visit http://www.kchclinics.com/   

About King’s College Hospital London

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching hospitals, training over 900 dentists, 750 doctors and 300 nurses every year. The Trust is recognised in the UK for its leading position across a full range of capabilities and is also recognised internationally for its work in liver disease and transplantation, neurosciences, cardiac, haemato-oncology, stroke and major trauma. On 1 October 2013, King’s took over the running of the Princess Royal University Hospital in Bromley and Orpington Hospital, as well as some services at Beckenham Beacon and Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup. The new enlarged organisation has over 10,500 staff and provides over 1 million patient contacts a year. 9,000 babies are delivered by our hospitals each year, and over 750 patients come to our Emergency Departments every day. For more information, please visit www.kch.nhs.uk 

About Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai (MEHD)

Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai (MEHD) is the first overseas branch of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the oldest and one of the largest centres for ophthalmic treatment, teaching and research in the world. Located at the Al Razi Medical Complex in Dubai Health Care City, the facility provides day case surgery and outpatient diagnostic and treatment services, for a variety of surgical and non-surgical eye conditions. MEHD will also raise standards for research and teaching in the region. MEHD is owned and managed by the NHS Foundation Trust, and maintains close links with London, to ensure that patients in the GCC receive the best eye care treatment in the world. 

Media contact for KCH in the UAE:

Alia Karim, Hill+Knowlton Strategies

Contact: Alia.Karim@hkstrategies.com  or +971 (0) 56 501 9503

Media contact for Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai:

Jonathan Walsh, WPR Dubai, +971 50 4588610, jon@wprme.com 

© Press Release 2018