• Additional capacity raises readiness to deal with unforeseen coronavirus scenarios

As part of the UAE leadership’s directives to leverage all resources and infrastructure to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and provide the highest quality of healthcare for affected people, Dubai Government is developing a large field hospital to ensure it is geared to deal with any potential increase in COVID-19 patients. The move forms part of Dubai’s efforts to enhance its level of preparedness to deal with unforeseen scenarios.

The emirate is working to create a field hospital within the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), which has the critical facilities and size needed for the proper functioning of a large hospital. Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is installing medical equipment at the new field hospital and providing the staff to ensure the facility can start operating as soon as there is a requirement for increased capacity. The temporary hospital will operate under the umbrella of DHA, the COVID-19 Command and Control Center, and the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai.

His Excellency Humaid Al Qutami, Director General of Dubai Health Authority, said the field hospital, which will be developed in phases within DWTC, can be expanded to provide up to 3,030 beds. Staffed by well-trained medical staff including doctors, nurses and para-medical personnel, the hospital will maximise the capacity of Dubai’s healthcare system. He stressed that currently there is no requirement to increase the capacity.

Dr. Amer Ahmad Sharif, Vice Chancellor of the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) and head of Dubai’s COVID-19 Command and Control Center, said the field hospital provides additional capacity that will create further confidence in the Dubai healthcare system’s ability to contain the COVID-19 outbreak and deal with unexpected scenarios that may arise in the short term. He said the decision to establish the field hospital was made to ensure Dubai is ready to handle any kind of future situation.

News Source : https://mediaoffice.ae/news/2020/Apirl/15-04/Dubai-creates-large-field-hospital-within-DWTC