Dubai, United Arab Emirates, July 25, 2018:  The emergency department and the labour and delivery suite of Latifa Hospital for Women and Children, Dubai’s oldest and largest dedicated maternity and paediatric hospital, are currently undergoing expansion to double the hospital’s capacity.

By September 2019, the first phase of the emergency department and the expansion of the labour and delivery suite will be complete.  The second phase of the emergency department will be complete by March 2020.  Upon completion, the emergency department will be able to cater to 60,000 patients from the current 30,000 patients. The total cost of the project is Dh 100 million. 

HE Humaid Al Qutami, Director-General of the DHA inspected the progress of the expansion. He was provided with a detailed overview of the expansion project.

Al Qutami said, “The hospital provides high-quality maternity and paediatric services to the population of Dubai and is a referral centre for complicated cases not only for Dubai residents but also for patients from the Northern Emirates.  It is a centre of excellence and the aim of the expansion is to enhance capacity as well as create a patient flow system that further improves care, helps medical staff provide high-quality medical services and is patient-centric and patient-friendly.”

Dr Muna Tahlak, CEO of Latifa Hospital for Women and Children said, “The expansion of the labour suite will increase capacity and further create a patient and family-centric environment in line with international modern practises. The design is such that it will enhances accessibility, safety and delivery of service. The expansion will not only increase capacity but also it will improve patient flow procedures, minimize patient transfers from one location to another and enhance overall care.”

The strategic patient flow plan includes a centralized patient placement centre. Dr Tahlak said, “From the time the patient enters the hospital until discharge, we have designed the expansion in such a manner that all processes take place next to each other creating an easy flow and minimizing patient movement. We studied our processes as well as looked at international benchmarks before finalizing the design process.”

She said that two more operation theatre (OT) rooms will be added increasing the number of OTs to six. “Presently, approximately 5,000 to 6,000 deliveries take place per year at the hospital. The premises is recognized as a baby-friendly hospital and we follow kangaroo-care practices even for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) babies to ensure speedy recovery of premature babies and early bonding between parents and the baby. The new design will enhance capacity of our NICU services as well.”

Expansion of emergency department:

The new emergency department will have a green and child-friendly theme to create a positive patient and family-centric environment in line with international modern practices. It will be equipped with the latest technology. The helipad area for air-ambulance is completed. 

Dr Tahlak said, “The expansion will include two sides — one designated for women and the other for children. The look of the department will be changed completely starting from the reception, MRI and obstetric and gynaecology consultation rooms to enhance accessibility, safety and delivery of service.”

The hospital is a pioneer in minimally invasive gynecology surgeries; today almost 80 per cent of all gynecological surgeries performed at the hospital are minimally invasive. The hospital also specializes in minimally invasive pediatric surgery.  

In 2015, the hospital received a recognition from the American Association of Gynaecological Laparoscopy (AAGL) as a Centre of Excellence in Gynaecological Minimally Invasive Surgery (COEMIG). This year, the hospital will continue to provide training courses to doctors in COEMIG surgeries.