Dubai, United Arab Emirates, August 16, 2017:   Latifa Hospital for Women and Children to begin expansion of its facilities by the last quarter of this year, said a top health official.

The facilities that will undergo expansion include the labour and delivery suite and the emergency department.

Latifa Hospital for Women and Children is the oldest and largest dedicated maternity and paediatric hospital in the Emirate. 

Dr Muna Tahlak, CEO of Latifa Hospital, said: “The expansion of the labour suite is to increase capacity and further create a patient-centric and family-centric environment in line with international modern practises. The design is such that it will  enhance accessibility, safety and delivery of service. The hospital is a recognised Baby Friendly Hospital and we follow kangaroo-care practices even for NICU babies to ensure speedy recovery of premature babies and early bonding between parents and the baby. 

“Every year approximately 6000 deliveries take place at the hospital and we are recognised as a referral centre for complicated cases. These cases are accepted after due procedures are followed by the referring hospital.”

Dr Tahlak added that the paediatric and maternity emergency departments function round-the-clock on all days and both will undergo expansion to expand capacity. In 2016, approximately 60,000 patients were seen in the emergency departments of the hospital.

The expansion will double the capacity of the emergency departments.