Experts are warning of a shortage of beds in hospital intensive-care units in Abu Dhabi.
The emirate's 146 ICU beds are operating at high occupancy levels, with at least 30 more needed to meet demand, according to the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi.
Paul Hetherington, head of planning at the health authority, said that while the country's hospital beds generally had lower occupancy levels than in other countries, this was not the case for ICU beds.
Public hospitals in urban areas of Abu Dhabi operate at around 70 per cent occupancy compared with 84 per cent in the UK and 88 per cent in Switzerland, and most healthcare systems aim for 80 per cent. However, Abu Dhabi's ICU beds have occupancy rates of about 90 per cent.
"For those requiring long-term intensive care, there is a gap," Mr Hetherington said.
"The health authority is in a process of reviewing the demand and supply of long-term care, including to the terminally ill and, accordingly, further recommendations may be made in future."
To help to fill the ICU gap, Seha, the health-services company that manages the emirate's public hospitals, plans 92 more critical-care beds by 2013, and 72 beds are planned by the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
Several other private hospitals are under construction and will provide additional capacity for both ICU and terminally ill patients by 2014, Mr Hetherington said.
The health authority was unable to provide the exact number of terminally ill patients or patients who require long-term intensive care in Abu Dhabi. However, Dr Helmut Schuehsler, chairman of ProVita, which runs a long-term care centre in Khalifa City A, estimated that 100 Emirati patients required such care in Abu Dhabi emirate.
ProVita's centre accommodates 36 patients. A new one opening this year in Al Ain will have a capacity of about 40.
Experts say the ICU crisis is due in part to the shortage of such long-term care facilities for the chronically ill, which means many patients are being kept in ICU beds longer than is necessary.
"An intensive care unit at a hospital attends to acute patients who suffered a trauma. The most important place for these people is the ICU," said Dr Masab Moumneh, a specialist with Provita.
"But after recovering from a trauma, some people remain unconscious for two or three months, and during this time they are occupying bed space that may be needed by another patient."
Although the ProVita centre is licensed as a hospital, it operates differently. Visitors can come at any time and family members can spend the night. Patients are also allowed time away and staff often organise trips to provide social interaction for them.
Emirati patients are nominated by doctors to be treated there, but they must meet certain medical criteria. Costs are covered by their Thiqa insurance.
Such centres are not only beneficial to hospitals, but also to patients, Dr Moumneh said.
"In intensive care units there is a high risk of cross contamination and infection. Patients often cannot sleep as they are surrounded by 24 hour work and noise. They also cannot leave the hospital."
Some patients develop a condition known as ICU psychosis, usually about two weeks after they are admitted.
"Some patients get extremely depressed and demand they be discharged, even if they know they might die," Dr Moumneh said. "Yes, medical attention is important, but the quality of life is equally important for these patients."
