ABU DHABI // A 40-year-old healthcare centre in the city is to be demolished to make way for a Dh54?million state-of-the-art facility.
Al Mushrif Healthcare Centre is one of 23 to be rebuilt in the emirate by 2018, said Saif Al Hameli, group chief facilities and construction officer at Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha).
“Our new facilities have been carefully planned to offer the best health-care services and standards to meet the expectations of the residents in the emirate,” he said.
“The new Al Mushrif Healthcare Centre will be equipped with excellent, modern facilities and the latest equipment to ensure world-class, specialised health care.”
The revamp of the centre has just been given the green light by the Executive Committee of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and it will have the capacity to cater for an anticipated 100,000 visitors each year.
The existing centre, built in 1973, was closed to the public on July 19 and demolition work will begin shortly. The new centre will then be built on the existing site.
It will include services for family medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics, gynaecology and emergency care services.
It will also have a nutrition and health education clinic, offer physical therapy and provide dermatology services, among others.
The new Al Mushrif centre, which is being built using green building standards to reduce energy and water consumption, will also include 16 examination rooms, radiology units, laboratories and support services and will have rehabilitation services to ease the pressure on hospitals and outpatient clinics.
Specialist services will also be added when the centre is fully operational.
There will be six family physicians, one general practitioner and two dentists initially employed at the centre, with further staff to be hired at a later stage.
“The clinics are designed with patients’ complete well-being in mind,” said Mr Al Hameli. “They feature the latest treatment, comforts and amenities, ensuring Abu Dhabi residents have access to health care on a par with the best in the world.
“We are confident that the new clinic will meet the increasing demand for premium health-care services for both citizens and residents alike.”
He said the health-care centre master plan took into consideration the expected population growth of Abu Dhabi.
The site will include 6,400 square metres of buildings, 1,600 square metres of infrastructure and gardens, car parking spaces and meeting rooms.
“The design was produced according to the latest international medical standards, which provide an ideal environment for healing and comforting the sick, and simultaneously take into account the privacy and traditions of the UAE,” said Mr Al Hameli.
During the refurbishment work, existing patients of Al Mushrif health-care centre have been redirected to the Al Ittihad Urgent Care Centre.
All patients that require immediate attention are advised to visit the Khalidiyah Urgent Care Centre, while patients with emergency cases are being advised to go to Sheikh Khalifa Medical City Emergency Department.
Seha plans to renovate 23 healthcare centres by 2018, a spokeswoman said.
“Seha intends to modernise and transform its existing health centres, which have been designed as primary care centres that provide primary health services, into centres that provide specialist medical services,” the spokeswoman for the health-care provider added.
“This will ensure the delivery of medical services to outpatients within their respective areas, enabling the load on hospitals to be reduced, and will also provide harmony between the distribution of health services and the geographical and population distribution of citizens and residents.”
Facilities that have already been renovated include Al Nahda, Al Khatem and Mohammed bin Zayed health-care centres.
The renovation of the Al Shamkha Healthcare Centre is expected to begin later this year.
