Sheikh Khalifa Medical City's Psychiatric Rehabilitation Unit Gains International Recognition

Abu Dhabi’s Flagship SEHA Facility Recognized as World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation Collaborating Centre for Training and Research

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: The Psychiatric Rehabilitation Unit at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) has been recognized as a World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR) Collaborating Centre for Training and Research, demonstrating the unit’s unwavering dedication to leading psychiatric care.

The WAPR recognizes global leaders in the field of psychiatry to form a strong information exchange centre, enabling the sharing of quality research and best practices from around the world.

“The recent recognition from WAPR is an important achievement for our facility as it testifies our patient-centred quality care and expertise in the field. This prestigious achievement will provide our highly-qualified physicians, nurses and members care with quality information resources from around the world, ensuring the team is constantly up-to-date on the best practices, and the latest scientific research. This will help make certain the best decisions are made with our patients.” said Dr. Maha Al Ameri, Director of the Behaviour Science Pavilion at SKMC.

Established in 1986, WAPR is a multidisciplinary scientific association, and an advocacy group aiming to reduce the negative stigma associated with mental disorders, through the empowerment of mental health patients. The association serves as a key platform for global stakeholders to discuss updated and important issues within the mental health and psychosocial rehabilitation industry, and allows for an exchange of experiences to aid in the formulation of policies and research.

WAPR is a non-governmental organization, with consultative status in the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and the International Labour Office. The organization maintains close relations with the European Commission, the African Rehabilitation Institute, and many other international agencies.

“In achieving the medical centre’s vision of providing our community with a healthier, and more productive life, SKMC’s psychiatric rehabilitation department is consistently making efforts to educate the public, as well as our dedicated and passionate medical staff, on important developments in the field of psychiatry to continuously improve our psychiatric patient care. Our leading multidisciplinary approach has helped the department gain international recognition for psychiatric excellence, and we look forward to working closely with WAPR to ensure our patients are treated with the best care possible.” Said Dr. Medhat Elsabbahy, Consultant Psychiatrist, Head of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Department of SKMC, and Deputy Vice President for the WAPR Eastern Mediterranean region.

Being the largest psychiatric centre in the UAE, the Behaviour Science Pavilion at SKMC serves as the nation’s leading resource for clinical work, education and research, with special emphasis on multidisciplinary practices, and the integration of mental health services with other medical fields.

SKMC, which is managed by Cleveland Clinic, is a SEHA Health System facility.