Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi opens doors for first patients

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, CCAD, one of the emirate's most-anticipated flagship projects, has started to accept patients with the opening of its eye clinic yesterday, where patients can receive treatment for conditions such as cataracts, corneal diseases and glaucoma.
The medical campus on Al Maryah Island is predominantly modelled on the Cleveland Clinic in the United States.
According to a report published by The National, other services are expected to start over the next 10 weeks, including internal medicine, infectious diseases, rheumatology, pain management, nervous system, brain and spine, digestive health, urology and kidney, dermatology, plastic surgery, and the accident and emergency will be the last department to open, on May 31st.
"We are thrilled to welcome patients to our eye institute and are honoured to begin delivering on our promise to provide world-class care to our patients here in the UAE," said Dr. Marc Harrison, Chief Executive of CCAD, adding, "Our mission is to provide compassionate, patient-centred care of the highest quality to the people of Abu Dhabi."
The hospital, developed by Mubadala Healthcare, a unit of Mubadala Development, will currently accept only Emirati Thiqa card-holders, people with select Daman enhanced plans, and those who are self-funding.
"Patients walking through the doors of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi are going to receive the same quality of care as they would expect to receive at Cleveland Clinic in the US, which has been tailored to local needs and culture," said Dr. Harrison.
CCAD has 364 beds, including 72 intensive-care unit beds, four post-anaesthesia care units and 26 operating rooms, with 175 doctors and more than 1,000 nurses and other health professionals.
It will have more than 30 medical and surgical specialities and is designed to operate five different specialist centres of excellence covering digestive disease, eye, heart and vascular disorders, neurological treatment, and respiratory and critical care.
Minimally invasive robotic surgery and advancements in treatments for patients with epilepsy and irritable bowel diseases will be among the new areas of medicine the hospital will focus on.
The site, which aims to complement existing healthcare facilities in the emirate, will also have a dedicated organ transplant centre.
Source: WAM