Coronavirus: Dubai opens critical care hospital and isolation unit to treat Covid-19 patients

Facilities in Muhaisnah and near Rashid Hospital will help contain the virus

Dubai Health Authority inaugurates a 25-room isolation facility for positive and suspected Covid-19 cases near Rashid Hospital. Courtesy: Dubai Health Authority 

Two new facilities to treat critically ill Covid-19 patients and isolate residents with moderate symptoms have been set up in Dubai.

On Monday, a 50-bed critical care hospital opened in Muhaisnah. The hospital includes a screening centre to test workers who live in the densely populated neighbourhood, as part of early detection efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

The new hospital was opened by Aster DM Healthcare, a private healthcare operator which has flown in nurses and intensive care specialists from India to work with its teams in the UAE to handle the outbreak.

Humaid Al Qutami, director general of the authority, said the location for the Muhaisnah hospital was chosen strategically to make medical care accessible to people in the area.

“The public and private healthcare sector in Dubai have shown exemplary partnership especially for managing the Covid-19 pandemic and operating round-the-clock to provide optimum care to all patients,” he said.

Dr Azad Moopen, managing director of Aster, said the new hospital was an important addition to the emirate’s medical sector to “take care of the requirement of Covid-19 patients who need advanced care including ventilators.”

“It will also address the screening and testing of residents of Muhaisnah to contain the infection,” he said.

The second unit to open on Monday was a 25-room isolation facility near Rashid Hospital. This facility, set up by Dubai Health Authority, will treat positive and suspected Covid-19 cases. It also includes critical care rooms, examination areas and a clinic.

Mr Al Qutami said the 1,500 square metre isolation ward will be used for patients who require intensive care and for people suspected of having the virus that must remain in quarantine.

He said the addition would help speed up the recovery of patients.

The unit was opened as part of the authority's prevention strategy, along with the field hospitals that opened two months ago.

With stay home restrictions eased across the country and people returning to offices in a staggered roll-out, the authority has renewed cautionary messages on social media to remind residents to stay vigilant.

“Reduced movement restrictions does not mean reduced preventive precautions,” the authority said on Twitter recently,  while reminding people to wear masks when necessary, maintain the physical distancing and disinfect frequently used office areas and equipment.

The first field hospital in the country opened in April at Dubai World Trade Centre with a capacity to treat 3,000 patients.

More than two million people have been tested for Covid-19 across the UAE as part of a nationwide early detection strategy.